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QNION  (:!OLLE()E 


ISS.^?S!^<Si5M!S!SSMKMSSSS^  : 


NTENNIAL  ANNIVERSARY 

1795-1895 


1> 


UNION  COLLEGE 

CENTENNIAL  ANNIVERSARY 

1795-1895 


"^'o  s'lj-  tItoHsiuid  men  Uuioii  Collcf/e  has  been  .wnu'thinu 
more  than  a  name.  To  three  thousand,,  not  yet  wrapped  In 
eternal  site?iee,  it  is  still  a  si/no)i//nt  for  four  years  of  in- 
tellectual sfrnyyie  and  i)d<'lh'(tu((l  joy,  of  yrou-in//  discern- 
ment of  vague  outlines  of  the  irorld  of  thouyht,  <f  dauiiiny 
enthusiasm  for  nolle  ideals,  of  deliyhtful  human  companion- 
ships;, of  communion  with  as  rare  surroundinys  of  natural 
beauty  as  ever  yladdened  the  heart  of  jirosaic  man,  and 
helped  shake  off  some  grains  at  least  <f  its  earthiness." 

(Prof,  ./(tmcs  li.  Triiuj.) 


1795 


UNION   COLLEGE 


$ 


1895 


A  IIECOIID  OF  THE  ( OMME.MOiiATlON 

JUNE  TWENTY-FIRST  TO  TWENTY-SEVENTH,  1895 


ONE  HUNDREDTH  ANNIVERSARY 

OF  THE 

FOUNDING  OF  UNION  COLLEGE 

INCLUDING 

A  SKETCH  OF  ITS  HISTOllY 


NEW-YORK 

1897 


U7^J 
/8JS 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 

THE  Centennial  Committee,  in  appointing  a  Sub-com- 
mittee on  Publication,  directed  them  to  prepare  and 
issue  a  full  report  of  the  proceedings  connected  with  the 
observance  of  the  anniversary,  together  with  a  history  of 
the  College.  The  fulfilment  of  this  duty  has  been  de- 
layed, partly  by  the  amount  of  labor  involved,  and  partly 
by  the  fact  that  the  Committee  on  Publication  included 
no  men  of  leisure,  who  could  devote  to  the  task  continu- 
ous attention. 

It  was  thought  best  to  make  the  report  as  accurate  as 
possible  by  gi\dng  each  speaker  an  opportunity  to  re- 
vise his  contribution  both  in  manuscript  and  in  proof. 
This  required  voluminous  correspondence  and  frequent 
interruptions  in  the  work  of  preparation. 

In  order  to  keep  the  volume  within  reasonable  limits, 
it  was  found  necessary  to  omit  any  minute  account  of 
the  events  which  belonged  to  the  annual  commencement 
rather  than  to  the  Centennial  celebration.  The  im- 
promptu speeches  delivered  at  the  Alumni  dinner  have 
also  been  omitted. 

For  the  historical  sketch  the  committee  are  indebted  to 
Mr.  Robert  C.  Alexander,  of  the  class  of  1880,  who  kindly 
placed  at  their  disposal  the  results  of  researches  which 
he  had  made  for  a  different  purpose. 


ivi?09166 


VI  PREFATORY   NOTK. 

To  facilitate  rot'ui'ciiicu  to  tho  contciils  oi'  the  volume,  a 
full  index  has  been  appended. 

The  Committee  on  I'lildicitiou  induli;*'  the  hopi^  that 
this  volume  may  not  only  keej)  alive  the  memory  of 
a  notable  anniversary,  but  also  strengthen  the  loyal 
attachment  of  the  Alumni  to  their  alina  mater. 

Charles  Emoky  Smith, 

Charles  D.  Nott, 

Frederick  W.  Seward, 

Homer  Greene, 

James  K.  Truax, 

Edward  P.  White, 

George  Alexander,  Clia'niudn. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

SKETCH   OF   THE   COMMEMORATION  ....  1-35 

The  Preparation 1-7 

Centennial  Co>[^riTTEK 4-5 

Sub-Committees 5-6 

The  Program 8-18 

The  Proceedings 19-35 

Alumni  Dinner 23-25 

Commencement  Exercises 20-35 

Conferring  op  Degrees 27-31 

History  op  the  College 37-76 

Baccalaureate  Day 

MORNING  SERVICE 

Discourse  by  George  Alexander,  D.  D 70-90 

AFTERNOON   SERVICE 
Conference  on  the  Relations  of  Religion  and  Educa- 
tion    91-120 

addresses  by 

A.  C.  Sewall,  D.  D 91-94 

B.  B.  Loomis,  D.  D 95-100 

Rev.  Walter  Scott,  A.  M 101-109 

Thomas  E.  Bliss,  D.  D 110-114 

William  Maxon,  D.  D 115-120 

Frederick  Z.  Rooker,  D.  D 121-12() 

EVENING   SERVICE 

Baccalaureate  Sermon  by  Rt.  Rev.  Wm.  C.  Doane,  D.  D.  127-139 

Educatoes'  Day 

MORNING    SESSION.      SUBJECT,    THE    SECONDARY 

SCHOOL 143-182 

addresses  by 

Melvil  Dewey 143-149 

William  H.  Maxwell 150-171 

C.  F.  P.  Bancroft,  LL.  D 172-182 

vii 


VI 11 


CONTENTS. 


AFTERNOON   SESSION.    SUB.JE(T,   THE  COLLEOE  .     is;]-212 

ADDRKSSES   BY 

President  Austin  Scott 1S3-185 

President  Benjamin  Andrews 180-197 

President  James  H.  Tayt.or li).S-i.M2 

EVENING   SESSION.     SUBJECT,  THE    UNIVERSITY  .  213-2-14 
addresses  by 

President  Danied  Coit  Oilman 21:5-210 

Professor  William  Gardner  Hale         ....  217-229 

President  G.  Stanley  Hall 230-244 

Alumni  Day 

CENTENNIAL  BANQUET 
speeches  by 
President  Andrew  V.  V.  Raymond   . 
Chancellor  Anson  Judd  Upson    . 
Professor  George  Herbert  Palmer 
Dean  Henry  Parks  Wright  .... 
Professor  John  Haskell  Hewitt    . 
Professor  Charles  F.  Richardson 

De.aj^  J.  H.  Van  Amringe 

Professor  William  ]Macdonald    . 
Professor  John  Randolph  Tucker 

Professor  Oren  Root 

Professor  Anson  D.  Morse 

President  Austin  Scott        .... 

President  James  H.  Taylor 


EVENING   SESSION 
Commemorative  Addresses  and  Centennial  Poem 
addresses  by 

Charles  D.  Nott,  D.  D 

George  F.  Danforth,  LL.  1) 

Stealy  B.  Rossiter,  D.  D. 

centennial  poem  by 
William  H.  McElroy,  LL.  D 


Memorial  Day 

THE   COLLEGE  IN   PATRIOTIC   SERVICE 
addresses  by 
Gen.  Daniel  Butterfield,  LL.  I).     . 
Major  Austin  A.  Yates 
Poem  by  ^Ik.  Weston  Flint 


247-248 
249-2.")7 
258-259 
201-203 
203-208 
208-270 
271-274 
274-270 
270-280 
280-283 
283-284 
285-288 
288-291 

293-331 

293-295 
290-310 
311-327 

328-331 


335-347 

33i>-336 

337-a*6 

347 


CONTENTS.  IX 

THE   COLLE(iK   IN   PROFESSIONAL   LIFK  348-420 

ADDRESSKS   BY 

W.  H.  Hklmk  ^[oore 348-:}r)l 

J.  Newton  Fikro '.i')2-'M')7 

Teunis  S.  Hamlin,  D.  I) :}()8-4()r) 

John  Van  Rensselaer  Hoff,  A.  M.,  M.  I).       .        .        .  40(^-420 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL  OF  THE  ENGINEERING  SCHOOL  421-435 

ADDRESSES  BY 

President  Cady  Staley 421-42G 

Warner  Miller,  LL.  D 427-435 

THE   COLLEGE  IN  STATESMANSHIP  AND  POLITICS   437-407 
addresses  by 

Silas  B.  Brownell,  LL.  D 437-438 

Governor  John  Gary  Evans 439-443 

Hon.  David  C.  Robinson 444-455 

Chables  Emory  Smith,  LL.  D 456-4(57 

Commencement  Day 

UNIVERSITY  CELEBRATION  471-497 

address  by 
Eliphalet  Nott  Potter,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.         .        .        .       471-476 

CENTENNIAL   ORATION   BY 

Henry  C.  Potter,  D.  D.,  LL.  D 477-497 

REGISTRATION 501-517 

INDEX 519-524 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 
UNION   COLLEGE  Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Union  College  in  1795 39 

John  Blair  Smith 44 

Jonathan  Edwards 46 

Union  College  in  1804 47 

Eliphalet  Nott 49 

Laurens  P.  Hickok 57 

Charles  Augustus  Aiken 58 

Eliphalet  Nott  Potter 59 

Harrison  E.  Webster 60 

Andrew  V.  V.  Raymond 61 

Tayler  Lewis 63 

Isaac  W.  Jackson 64 

Entrance  to  College  Grounds 68 

The  Terrace 69 

Powers  Memorial  Building 71 


SKETCH    OF   THE   COMMEMOKATIOX. 

THE   PREPARATION. 

AT  the  aimual  meeting;  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
-^  Union  College  on  June  27,  1893,  Trustee  R.  C.  Alex- 
ander moved  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  pre- 
facing it  by  the  remark  that  with  the  substitution  of  the 
word  "century"  for  "half-century,"  the  resolution  was 
an  exact  copy  of  one  passed  by  the  Board  of  Trustees 
fifty  years  before : 

Wheeeas,  The  space  of  a  century  will  have  nearly 
elapsed  before  the  next  annual  commencement  since  the 
incorporation  of  Union  College ;  and  whereas,  the  expira- 
tion of  such  a  period  affords  a  fit  occasion  for  reviewing 
the  i^ast  history  of  the  institution,  and  commemorating 
the  services  of  those  among  its  patrons  and  alumni  who 
have  been  called  away  by  death  therefrom. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  cooperate 
with  a  committee  of  the  alumni  in  a  joint  committee  to 
consider  and  report  upon  the  time  most  proper  for  such  a 
celebration,  and  to  suggest  such  arrangements  as  may,  in 
their  estimation,  be  deemed  best  adapted  to  give  interest 
and  useful  effect  to  the  occasion. 
1 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


ACTION   OF   THE   ALUMNI. 


On  tlie  same  day  tbo  Association  of  tlie  Alumni,  at  its 
regular  annual  meeting,  u[)()n  motion  of  Edwai'd  P.  White, 
'79,  adopted  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions : 

Whereas,  The  year  1895  will  mark  the  completion  of  a 
full  hundred  years  of  the  life  of  Union  College,  and 

Whereas,  This  fact  will  call  for  general  rejoicing  among 
the  alumni  and  friends  of  the  College,  and  will  offer  a 
most  fitting  occasion  for  celebrating  the  beneficent  work 
and  far-reaching  influence  of  our  Alma  Mater,  and  for 
honoring  the  memory  of  those  who,  as  officers,  instruc- 
tors, graduates,  or  benefactors,  have  made  the  name  of 
Union  illustrious;  and 

Whereas,  The  worthy  commemoration  of  an  event  of 
such  historic  interest  will  require  extended  and  careful 
preparations,  therefore  be  it  resolved, 

1.  That  a  committee  of  twelve,  together  with  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  Association,  ex  officio,  be  appointed  from  our 
most  interested  and  loyal  alumni  to  devise  and  perfect  a 
plan  for  appropriately  celebrating  the  centennial  anniver- 
sary of  the  founding  of  Union  College.  The  committee 
shall  have  power  to  add  to  their  number  by  selecting  at 
least  one  from  each  class. 

2.  That  the  Faculty  and  Board  of  Trustees  be  requested 
to  appoint  each  a  committee  to  cooperate  with  this  com- 
mittee of  the  alumni. 

3.  That  the  joint  committee  be  requested  to  report 
one  year  hence  a  definite  plan  for  the  celebration. 

ACTION   OF   THE   FACULTY. 

On  December  7,  1893,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Faculty  of 
the  College,  a  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted  author- 
izing the  President  to  a]ipoint  a  committee  of  three  to  co- 


SKETCH   OF    THE    COMMEMOKATION.  3 

operate  with  tlie  other  committees  in  tiie  celebration  of 
the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  College. 

ACTION    OF   THE   UNIVERSITY. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Governoi-s 
of  the  University,  held  in  Albany,  on  January  23,  1894, 
Dr.  Willis  J.  Tucker  presiding,  a  resolution  was  adopted 
authorizing  the  chairman  to  appoint  one  representative 
upon  the  Centennial  Committee  from  each  of  the  Albany 
departments  of  the  University,  and  directing  that  he 
shoukl  designate  himself  as  the  representative  of  the 
Medical  College. 

ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   COMMITTEE. 

On  December  14, 1893,  the  committees  met  in  joint  ses- 
sion at  203  Broadway,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  made  a 
temj)orary  organization,  and  appointed  a  snb-committee 
on  plan  and  scojje  to  report  at  a  later  meeting,  wdiich 
they  should  call. 

Such  meeting  was  duly  held  at  the  same  place  on 
March  8,  1894,  and  a  permanent  organization  was  then 
effected.  The  committee  at  the  same  time  added  to  their 
number  additional  alumni  members,  as  authorized  by  the 
resolution  of  the  Ceneral  Alumni  Association,  thus  form- 
ing the  Grand  Committee  of  One  Hundred;  and  desig- 
nated the  members  of  the  various  sub-committees. 

The  committee  then  heard  the  report  of  the  sub-com- 
mittee on  plan  and  scope,  appointed  at  the  December 
meeting,  and  after  due  discussion  adopted  a  set  of  by- 
laws for  the  future  direction  of  the  Centennial  Committee 
and  its  various  sub-committees. 

It  was  decided  that  the  celebration  of  the  Centennial 
should  be  held  during  the  Commencement  week  of  1895, 
and  that  the  various  Centennial  exercises  should  be  ar- 
ticulated with  the  regular  exercises  of  the  graduating 


4  UNION    COLLEGE. 

class  ill  such  uiaiincr  as  iiii<;lit  tlieroafter  be  agreed  upon 
by  the  committees  on  Commemorative  Exercises  and  on 
Banquet  and  Receptions,  eoiipci-atiiig  witli  tlie  Faculty 
of  the  College. 

The  committee,  as  finally  constituted,  and  its  sub-com- 
mittees are  indicated  in  the  following  list : 

THE   CENTENNIAL   COMMITTEE. 

OF   THE   BOARD   OF   TRUSTEES. 

Hon.  JUDSON   S.  LANDON,  LL.  D. 
\yy\.  H.  H.  :\rOORE.  Rev.  GEORGE  ALEXANDER,  D.  D. 

Hon.  JOHN  A.  DE  REMER.       CHARLES  C.  LESTER. 

OF   THE  FACULTY. 

Prof.  WILLIAM   WELLS,  LL.  D. 
Prof.  .JAMES  R.  TRUAX,  Ph.  D.     Prof.  B.  H.  RIPTON,  Ph.  D. 

OF   THE   UNIVERSITY. 

MEDICAL  COLLEGE,      .        .  Dr.  WILLIS   G.  TUCKER. 

LAW   SCHOOL,       .        .        .  Dean   LEWIS   B.   HALL. 

DUDLEY  OBSERVATORY,     .  Dr.  SAMUEL   B.  WARD. 

COLLEGE  OF  PHARMACY,  Dr.  ALFRED   B.  HUESTED. 

OF   THE  ALUMNI. 

Rev.  ANDREW  V.  V.  RAYMOND,  D.  D. 
Hon.  ALEX.  H.  RICE,  LL.  D. 

Gen.  DANIEL  BUTTERFIELD,  LL.  D. 
Hon.  ROBERT  EARL,  LL.  D. 

Rev.  CHARLES  D.  NOTT,  D.  D. 
Hon.  CHARLES  EMORY  SMITH,  LL.  D. 

Col.  CHARLES  E.  SPRAGUE,  Ph.  D. 
ROBERT   C.  ALEXANDER. 

Hon.  CHESTER  HOLCOMBE. 
HOMER  GREENE. 

JOSEPH   D.  CRAIG,  :\I.  D. 
SEYMOUR  VAN   SANTVOORD. 

WILLIAM   P.  RUDD. 


SKETCH   OF    THE   COMMEMORATION. 


OF   THE   ALUMNI. 


(ContiiHieil.) 


'26 
'27 

'28 
'29 
'30 
'31 
'32 
'33 
'34 
'35 
'36 
'37 
'38 
'39 
'40 
'41 
'42 
'43 
'44 
'45 
'46 
'47 
'48 
'49 
'50 
'51 
'52 
'53 
'54 
'55 
'56 
'57 
'58, 
'59 
'60 
'61 


Thomas  Hun,  M.  D.,  '62 

Charles  T.  Cromwell,  '63 

Zaccheus  T.  Newcomb,  '64 

Alexander  Proudfit,  D.  D.,  '05 

Jolin  C.  Halsey,  M.  D.,  '66 

Geu.  John  Cochrane,  '67 

Charles  E.  West,  LL.  D.,  '68 

Ezra  A.  Huntington,  D.  D.,  '69 

John  C.  Cruikshank,  D.  D.,  '70 

John  Foster,  LL.  D.,  '71 

Rol)ert  M.  Brown,  D.  D.,  '72 

Hon.  S.  K.  WiUiams,  '73 

Hon.  Isaac  Dayton,  '74 

Joel  T.  Headly,  LL.  D.,  '75 
Hon.  Geo.  F.  Danforth,  LL.  D.,  '76 

Hamilton  Harris,  LL.  D.,  '77 

Hon.  Samuel  W,  Jackson,  '78 

Prof.  Daniel  B.  Hagar,  '79 

Prof.  Wendell  Lamorovix,  '80 
Rt.  Rev.  A.  N.  Littlejohn,  D.  D.,  '81 

Hon.  John  M.  Carroll,  '82 

Warren  G.  Brown,  '83 

Hon.  Charles  C.  Nott,  '84, 

Hon.  Frederick  W.  Seward,  '85 

CUfford  A.  Hand,  '86 

James  H.  McClure,  '87 

Silas  B.  Brownell,  LL.  D.  '88 

Nelson  Millard,  D.  D.,  '89 

Hon.  John  H.  Burtis,  '90 

Sheldon  Jackson ,  D.  D. ,  '91 

Edward  P.  North,  '92 

L.  Clark  Seelye,  D.  D.,  '93 

John  T.  Mygatt,  '94 

Charles  Beattie,  D.  D.,  '95 

Hon.  Warner  Miller,  '96 

E.  Nott  Potter,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  '97 


Prof.  Oliver  P.  Steves, 
Hon.  Amasa  J.  Pai'ker, 
Daniel  M.  Stimson,  M.  D., 
Stealy  B.  Rossiter,  D.  D., 
Monroe  ]\I.  Cady. 
Hon.  J.  Newton  Fiero, 
Harrison  E.  Webster,  LL.  D., 
Kenneth  Clark, 
Robert  P.  Orr, 
George  R.  Donnan, 
Hon.  Howard  Thornton, 
Wm.  T.  Clute,  M.  D., 
Hon.  Tracy  C.  Becker, 
N.  V.  V.  Franchot, 
Frederick  B.  Streeter,  M.  D., 
William  B.  Rankine, 
Charies  M.  Cidver,  M.  D., 
Edward  P.  White, 
John  V.  L.  Pruyn, 
Frederick  W.  Cameron, 
James  R.  Fairgrieve, 
Frank  Burton, 
Dow  Beekman, 
Frank  Bailey, 
William  P.  Landon, 
Charles  F.  Bridge, 
Prof.  Philip  H.  Cole, 
Archie  R.  Conover, 
Fred.  L.  Comstock, 
Tracy  H.  Robertson, 
Edward  J.  Prest, 
George  T.  Hughes, 

Howard  Pemberton,  2d, 
Russell  S.  Greenman, 
R.  E.  Wilder. 


'48,  Hon.  Julm  H.  Starin, 


'93,  Hon.  Pliny  T.  Sexton,  LL.  D. 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


OFFICERS  AND   COMMITTEES. 

Cliairman,  Andrew  V.  V.  Raymond, 
Vice-Chairmau,  Charles  D.  Nott, 
Treasurer,  Charles  E.  Spraque, 
Secretary,  Chester  Holcombe, 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

A.  V.  V.  Raymond,  Chairman. 

Charles  D.  Nott,  Charles  E.  Sprague, 

Chester  Holcombe,  J.  S.  Landon, 

William  Wells,  J.  A.  De  Remer, 

Georgre  Alexander,  Seymour  Van  Santvoord, 

John  H.  Starin,  Robert  C.  Alexander. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE. 

Charles  E,  Sprague,  Chairman. 

Hamilton  Han-is,  Chester  Holcombe, 

Alex.  H.  Rice,  C.  M.  Culver, 

Daniel  Butterfield,  James  H.  McClure. 

COMMITTEE  ON  INVITATION. 

Charles  C.  Lester,  Chairman. 

Robert  Earl,  Joseph  D.  Craig, 

Howard  Thornton,  B.  H.  Ripton. 

COMMITTEE    ON   COMMEMORATIVE   EXERCISES. 

J.  S.  Landon,  Chairman. 

A.  V.  V.  Raymond,  Warner  Miller, 

Daniel  Butterfield,  Silas  B.  Brownell, 

Georg-e  Alexander,  James  R.  Truax. 

COMMITTEE   ON    BANQUET   AND   RECEPTIONS. 

W1LLLA.M  Wells,  Chairman, 

J.  A.  De  Remer,  William  P.  Rudd, 

J,  Newton  Fiero,  Willis  G.  Tucker. 


\ 


SKETCH   OF    THE   COMMEMORATION.  7 

COMMITTEE   ON   MUSIC. 

Seymour  Van  Santvoord,  Chairman. 

Daniel  M.  Stimson,  William  B.  Rankine, 

Charles  W.  Culver,  Tracy  H.  Robertson. 

COMMITTEE   ON  ENTERTAINMENT. 
John  A.  De  Remer,  Chairman. 
Samuel  W.  Jackson,  William  T.  ("lute. 

COMMITTEE   ON  TRANSPORTATION. 
John  H.  Starin,  Chairman. 
Daniel  Butterfleld,  Frank  Loomis. 

COMMITTEE   ON  PUBLICATION   OF   HISTORY,   ETC. 

George  Alexander,  Chairman. 

Charles  Emory  Smith,  Homer  Greene, 

Charles  D.  Nott,  James  R.  Truax, 

Frederick  W.  Seward,  Edward  P.  White. 

COMMITTEE   ON   ALUMNI   RECORD. 

Wendell  Lamoroux,  Chairman. 

A.  H.  Rice,  Philip  H.  Cole, 

Charles  F.  Bridge,  Dow  Beekman. 

COMMITTEE   ON   PRINTING,  PUBLICITY,   AND 
PROMOTION. 

R.  C,  Alexander,  Chairman. 

Frederick  W.  Cameron,  William  B.  Rankine, 

Frank  A.  de  Puy,  Edgar  S.  Barney. 

COMMITTEE  ON   CENTENNIAL   ENDOWMENT. 

Stephen  K.  Williams,  John  V.  L.  Pruyn, 

Wm.  H.  H.  Moore,  William  P.  Landon, 

John  A.  De  Remer,  Monroe  M.  Cady, 

Pliny  T.  Sexton. 

When  the  time  for  the  celebration  drew  near,  the  Committee  issued 
the  following  Program : 


8  UNION    COLLEGE. 

THE  PROGRAM. 

¥ 

jf  ln^a\^  3unc  2 1. 

ALLISON-FOOTE   PRIZE   DEBATE 

BETWEEN   THE 

ADELPHIC  AND  PHILOMATHEAN  LITERARY  SOCIETIES. 
First  Presbyterian  Chureli,  8.00  p,  M. 

QUESTION  FOR  DEBATE  :    ^Rcsoh-rd,  "  That  Coin'^  Fhmncinl  School 
is  Antagouistic  to  tlie  True  Interests  of  America."" 
MUSIC. 

SPEAKERS. 
In  the  Affirmntive. 
Members  of  the  Adelphic  Society. 
Rockwell  Harmon  Potter,  Glenville, 
Orman  West,  Middlebm*gb, 
Zedekiah  L,  Myers,  St.  Johnsville. 

In  the  Negative. 
^Members  of  tlie  Philoniatheau  Society. 
Theodore  Floyd  Bayles,  West  Kortright, 
James  Michael  Cass,  Wataugua,  Tenn., 
Orlando  B.  Pershing. 
MUSIC. 

AWARD  OF   PRIZES. 

Satur&as,  %\\\\c  22. 

CLASS-DAY   EXERCISES   OF   THE   CLASS   OF   189.3. 
First  Presl)yterian  Church,  3.30  p.  >r. 

INTRODUCTORY  MUSIC. 

PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS,     George  Linius  Streeter,  Johnstown. 

OliATION, James  Alexander  Collins,  Amsterdam. 

POEM Henry  Ravenel  Dwtght,  Charleston,  S.  C 

HISTORY Albert  Sewall  Cox,  Schenectady. 

ADDRESS William  (tRant  Bkown.  Utica. 

PROPHECY,    ....    Thkodore  Floyd  Bayles,  West  Kortright. 


SKETCH   OF    THE   C0MMEM(3RATI0N.  9 

PRIZE    ORATORY    OF    JUNIORS    AND    SOPHOMORES, 

AND   THE  ALEXANDER   PRIZE   CONTEST 

IN  EXTEMPORANEOUS   SPEAKING. 

First  Presb^-terian  Church,  7.30  p.  m. 

ORATORY. 

INTRODUCTORY  MUSIC. 

Sophomores. 

Howard  Rutsen  Furbeck,  St.  Johnsville,    **  Safeguards  of  a  Natiou." 

Ira  Hotaling,  Albany, "  Unconscious  Influence." 

John  Crapo  Merchant,  Nassau, "  Ballot  Reform." 

MUSIC. 

Juniors. 

D.  Howard  Craver,  Albany,     .     .     .  "  Christianity  Not  Philosophy." 

George  J.  Dann,  Walton, ''The  End  of  the  Century." 

RoscoE  Guernsey,  East  Cobleskill,    .     .    "  The  Progress  of  Liberty." 

MUSIC. 

PRIZE   CONTEST. 

established  by  ROBERT  C.  ALEXANDER,  '80. 

For  the  Encouragement  of  Extemporaneous  Sjjeaking. 
General  Subject,  *'  Wealth." 
MUSIC. 

CONTESTANTS. 

Horatio  M.  Pollock,  '95 Schenectady. 

D.  Howard  Craver,  '96, Albany. 

Albert  S.  Cox,  '95,    .    .    .    .     : Schenectady. 

Theodore  Floyd  Bayles,  '95, West  Kortright. 

William  Dike  Reed,  '98, Albany. 

Rockwell  Harmon  Potter,  '95, Glenville. 

George  Young,  '9G, Cobleskill. 

Loren  C.  Guernsey,  '95, East  Cobleskill. 

MUSIC. 


10 


UNION  COLLEGE. 


DOXOLOGY. 


ANTHEM. 


HYMN. 


HYMN. 


Sun^av?,  June  23. 

MORNINU  SERVICE. 
First  Reformed  Church,  10.30  a.  m. 

INVOCATION. 

SALUTATION. 

Responsive  Beading  of  the  103^7  Psalm. 

Beading  of  the  Commandments. 

PRAYER. 

Offerings  and  Offertory. 

DISCOURSE 


By  the  Rev.  GEORGE  ALEXANDER,  D.  D.,  '66,  Pastor  of  the 
Uaiversity  Place  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York  City. 


HYMN. 


PRAYER. 
BENEDICTION. 


ANTHEM. 
HYMN. 


AFTERNOON   SERVICE. 
First  Reformed  Church,  4.00  P.  M. 

Beading  of  Scriptxre. 


CONFERENCE,  "RELIGION  AND   EDUCATION," 

Led  by  the  Rev.  A.  C.  SEWALL,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the 

First  Reformed  Church,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 


SKETCH    OF    THE   COMMEMORATION.  11 


ADDRESSES  BY 

The  Rkv.  B.  B,  Loomis,  '63,  of  Canajoliarie,  N.  Y.,  representing  the 
Methodist  Church. 

The  Rev.  Walter  Scott,  '(58,  Principal  of  the  Connecticut  Literary 
Institution,  representing-  the  Baptist  Cliurcli. 

The  Rev.  William  D.  Maxon,  D.  D.,  78,  Rector  of  the  Calvary  Epis- 
copal Chui'ch,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Bliss,  D.  D.,  '48,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  repre- 
senting the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  Rev.  Frederick  Z.  Rooker,  D.  D.,  '84,  Secretary  to  the  Apostolic 
Delegate,  Monsignor  Satolli,  Washington,  D,  C. 

HYMN. 

BENEDICTION. 


EVENING  SERVICE   AND  BACCALAUREATE  SERMON. 

First  Reformed  Church,  7.30  P.  M. 

INVOCATION. 

SALUTATION. 
ANTHEM. 

Beading  of  the  Third  Chapter  of  the  Boole  of  Proverbs. 

PRAYER. 

Offerings  and  Offer  tor  ij. 
HYMN. 

BACCALAUREATE   SERMON   BY 

The  Right  Reverend  WILLIAM  CROSWELL  DOANE, 

Bishop  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 

PRAYER. 
HYMN. 

BENEDICTION. 


12  UNION    COLLEGE. 

flDoii^av,  .^unc  24. 

EDUCATIONAL   CONFERENCE. 

MORNING   SESSION. 
College  Cli.ipcl.  10  oVloc'k. 

Subject:  "The  School." 

Mklvil  Dkwey,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  tlie  University 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  i)resi(ling. 

ADDRESSES   BY 

Prof.  William  H.  Maxwell,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
C.  F.  P.  Bancroft,  Principal  of  PhiUips  Academy,  Andover,  Mass. 

AFTERNOON   SESSION. 
College  Chapel,  2.30  o'clock. 

Subject:  '' The  COLLEGE." 

President  Scott,  of  Rutgers  College,  presiding. 

ADDRESSES   BY 

President  Andrews,  of  Brown  University. 
President  Taylor,  of  Vassar  CoUege. 

ATHLETIC   CONTEST. 

College  Oval,  4.30  p.  M. 

EVENING   SESSION. 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  8.00  o'clock. 

Subject:  "The  University." 

President  Oilman,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  presiding. 

ADDHKSSES  BY 

President  G.  Stanley  Hall,  of  Clark  l^niversity. 

President  Harper,  of  Chicago  University. 

Chancellor  MacCrackex,  of  the  Universitv  of  the  Citv  of  New  York. 


SKETCH   OF   THE   COMIMEMORATION.  13 

ALUMNI   DAY. 
ANNUAL   MEETING   OF   THE    PHI   BETA    KAPPA  SOCIETY. 
English  Room,  9.00  a.  m. 

ANNUAL   MEETING  OF  THE   SIGMA  XI  SOCIETY. 
Engineering  Room,  9.00  a.  m. 

ANNUAL  MEETING  OF   THE   TRUSTEES. 
Philosophical  Room,  10.00  a.  m. 

ANNUAL   MEETING   OF   THE    GENERAL   ALUMNI 
ASSOCIATION. 

Hon.  Amasa  J.  Parker,  President,  presiding. 

College  Chapel,  10.00  a.  m. 

ELECTION   OF    ALUMNI   TRUSTEE  12.00  m. 

FOOT-BALL   KICKING   CONTEST. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  Foot-Ball  Association. 

College  Campus,  12.15  p.  M. 

CENTENNIAL  BANQUET. 

Memorial  Hall,  1.15  p.  m. 

President  Raymond,  presiding. 

MUSIC  —  Bv  THE  Glee,  Mandolin,  and  Banjo  Clubs. 

Greetings  from 

Chancellor  Anson  J.  Upson,  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the 

University  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Professor  George  Herbert  Palmer,  of  Harvard  Univei-sity. 

President  Patton,  of  Princeton  College. 

President  Andrews,  of  Brown  University. 

Professor  Henry  Parks  Wright,  Dean  of  Yale  College. 


14  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Professor  John  Haskkll  1 1  kwitt,  of  Williams  College. 

Propkssor  Charles  F.  Richardson,  of  Dartmouth  College. 

Professor  J.  H.  Van  Amringe,  Dean  of  ('olumbia  College. 

Professor  William  MacDonald,  of  Bowdoin  College. 

Professor  John  Randolph  Tucker,  of  Washington  and 

Lee  University. 

President  Scott,  of  Rutgers  College. 

Professor  Oren  Root,  of  Hamilton  College. 

Professor  Anson  D.  Morse,  of  Amherst  College. 

Chancellor  MacCracken,  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

President  Taylor,  of  Vassar  College. 


REUNION  OF  ALL  CLASSES  ABOUT   THE  "OLD  ELM," 
AND   IVY   EXERCISES  OF   THE   CLASS  OF   1895. 

College  Garden,  3.30  p.  M. 

INTRODUCTORY  MUSIC. 
PIPE  ORATION, Isaac  Harby,  Sumter,  S.  C. 

MUSIC. 
IVY  POEM, Rockwell  Harmon  Potter,  Glenville. 

PLANTING  OF   THE   IVY. 
IVY  ORATION,    .    .    George  Albert  Johnston,  Palatine  Bridge. 

RECEPTION   BY  PRESIDENT  AND  MRS.  RAYMOND. 
President's  Residence,  5.00  P.  M. 

COMMEMORATIVE   ADDRESSES    AND    CENTENNIAL    POEM. 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  8.00  P.  M. 

Rev.  Chas.  D.  Nott,  D.  D,,  '54,  presiding. 

ADDRESSES  BY 

Hon.  George  F.  Danporth,  LL,  D.,  '40. 
Rev.  Stealy  B.  Rossiter,  D.  D.,  '65. 

POEM   BY 
William  H.  McElroy,  LL.  D.,  'GO. 


SKETCH    OF   THE   COMMEMORATION.  15 

Mc^nes^a\?.  3\\nc  26. 

MEMORIAL   DAY. 

THE  COLLEGE   IN   PATRIOTIC   SERVICE. 

College  Campus,  8.30  A.  M. 

Presiding  Officer,— Gen.  Daniel  Butterfield,  LL.  I).,  '49. 
FLAG-RAISING,  WITH  ARTILLERY   SALUTE. 

ADDRESS  BY 
Major  Austin  A.  Yates,  '54. 

THE   COLLEGE   IN   PROFESSIONAL   LIFE. 
Memorial  Hall,  9.30  a.  m. 

Presiding  Officer,— W.  H.  H.  Moore,  '44. 

ADDRESSES  BY 

Hon.  J.  Newton  Fiero,  '67,  late  President  of  the  New  York 
State  Bar  Association. 

Rev.  Teunis  S.  Ha]\ilin,  D.  D.,  '67. 

Major  John  Van  R.  Hoff,  M.  D.,  U.  S.  A.,  71. 

BASE-BALL   GAME. 

The  CoUege  Nine  against  an  Alumni  Nine. 
College  Campus,  11.00  a.  m. 

ALUMNI  BANQUET. 
Memorial  Hall,  1.00  p.  m. 

Hon.  Amasa  J.  Parker,  '63,  President  of  the  General  Alumni  As- 
sociation, presiding. 

ADDRESSES  BY   ALUMNI  AND  OTHERS. 
jVIUSIC  — The  Glee,  Banjo,  and  Mandolin  Clubs. 


16  UNION    COLLEGE. 

CELEBRATToX  OF  THE   REMT-CENTKXXIAL 

OF   THE   ENCilNEEKlNO    SCHOOL 

OF  UNION   COLLEGE. 

College  Chapel,  4.00  p.  m. 

IV(>si(linfr  Officer,     President  Cady  Stalky,  '65,  of  the  Case  School 
of  Applied  Science. 

ADDRESSES   BY 

Hon.  Warner  Miller,  LL.  I).,  'GO. 

Gen.  Roy  Stone,  'oG. 


THE   COLLEGE  IN  STATESMANSHIP  AND  POLITICS 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  8.00  P.  M. 

Presiding  Officer,— Hon.  John  Gary  Evans,  '83,  Governor  of  South 
CaroUna. 

MUSIC  —  Introductory  — The  College  Banjo  and  Mandolin 
Clubs. 

ADDRESS  BY 
Hon.  David  C.  Robinson,  'Go. 

SONG  —  The  College  Glee  Club. 

ADDRESS  BY 
Hon.  Charles  Emory  Smith,  LL.  D.,  '01. 

SONG  — The  College  Ulee  ('luh. 


SKETCH    OF    THE   COINIMEMORATION.  17 

Uburs^av,  June  27. 

COMMENCEMENT   DAY. 

GRADUATING   EXERCISES  OP   THE   CLASS  OF   1895. 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  10.00  A.  M. 

INTRODUCTORY  MUSIC  — 

''  Centeunial  IMareh,"  by  John  T.  Mygatt,  '58. 
Singing  of  the  117th  T'.sahn  to  the  tune  "  Ohl  Hundred." 

PRAYER. 
MUSIC. 

ORATIONS. 

1.  '*  America  for  Humanity." 

William  Allen,  Clyde. 

2.  ''  The  Evohition  of  Great  Men." 

Theodore  Floyd  Bayles,  West  Kortright. 

3.  "  An  Educational  Basis  for  Suffrage." 

Frederick  Marshall  Eajies,  Albany. 

MUSIC. 

4.  "  The  Study  of  Literature,  as  Related  to  a  Liberal  Education." 

LoREN  C.  Guernsey,  East  Cobleskill. 

5.  "  The  Beneficent  Results  of  the  French  Revolution." 

Frederick  Klein,  Gloversville. 

6.  "  The  Advance  of  Man." 

Horatio  M.  Pollock,  Schenectady. 

MUSIC. 

7.  "  Influence  of  Feudahsm  on  the  Formation  of  the  State." 

George  Linius  Streeter,  Johnstown. 

8.  "  The  Individual  and  Society." 

John  N.  V.  Vedder,  Schenectady. 

9.  VALEDICTORY  —  ''  Ethics  in  Literatui-e." 

Rockwell  Harmon  Potter,  Glenville. 

THESIS  IN  ENGINEERING. 

*  "  Asphalts  and  Tests  of  Asphalts." 

Miles  Ayrault,  Jr.,  Tonawanda. 

MUSIC. 

*  Excused. 

2 


18  UNION    COLLEGE. 

UNIVEKSITV   CKLKBRATION. 

RKV.   ELIPflALKT   NOTT   I'OTTEH,  I).  I).,  LL.  D., 

Pivsidt'iit  of  Iloljurt  Collcfjo,  President  of  Union  College  1871-84, 

Class  '61,  Founder  of  Union  University,  introducing, 

The  Honorary  Chancellor  and  Centennial  Orator, 

KIGIIT  REV.  HENRY  C.  POTTER,  D.  1)..  LL.  D., 
Bishop  of  New  York. 
MUSIC. 

CONFERRING   OF  DEGREES. 

SONG   TO   OLD   UNION. 

AWARD   OF   PRIZES. 
BENEDICTION. 

Chief  Marshal,  Mekton  R.  Skinner,  '95. 

Assistant  Marshals. 

'96.  '97.  '98. 

R.  B.  Beattie,  P.  Canfield,  G.  W.  Spiegel, 

W.  A.  Campbell,  H.  A.  Frey,  F.  E.  Sturdevant, 

A.  L.  Peckbam,  C,  G.  McMullen,  C.  J.  Vrooinan. 

M.  A.  Twiford.  H.  C.  Todd, 

A.  C.  Wvekoff. 


PRESIDENT'S  RECEPTION. 
President's  Residence,  8.00  to  10.00  p.  m. 

RECEPTION   OF   THE   GRADUATING   CLASS. 
Memorial  Hall,  10.00  p.  m. 

* 

SILAS   B.  BROWNELL,   LL.  D., 

Chairman  of  tbe  Board  of  Trustees, 
General  Chairman  for  Centennial  Exercises. 

HON.  JOHN   KEYES   PAIGE.   '65. 
Grand  ^larshal. 


THE   PROCEEDINGS. 

THE  program  issued  by  the  Centennial  Committee  was 
successfully  carried  out  in  all  its  details  except  as 
changes  were  required  by  the  enforced  absence  of  Presi- 
dent Patton,  of  Princeton  College;  President  Harper,  of 
Chicago  University;  Chancellor  MacCracken,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York,  and  General  Roy  Stone. 

The  beautiful  college  grounds  were  never  more  beauti- 
ful, and  the  rare  June  days  were  seldom  overcast  with 
threatening  clouds. 

College  Hill  was  the  center  of  interest,  but  when  the 
general  public  were  invited  the  place  of  assembly  was 
changed  to  the  city  churches — the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  suggestive  to  Union  men  of  old  and  hallowed  as- 
sociation, and  the  First  Reformed  Church  with  its  beau- 
tiful impressiveness,  both  being  chosen  for  some  of  the 
most  important  events.  In  the  college  inclosure  the 
point  of  meeting  shifted  from  the  library  to  the  familiar 
chapel,  and  the  marble  hall  of  the  Alumni  Building  with 
its  lofty  dome ;  again  to  the  large  tent  erected  upon  the 
campus,  and,  most  beautiful  of  all.  Nature's  amphitheater 
and  "  Captain  Jack's  Garden."  Crowds  gathered  also  at 
the  running  track  in  the  grove  to  witness  the  athletic 
contest,  and  the  President's  house  was  the  scene  of  a 
brilliant  reception. 

The  attendance  throughout  the  week's  festivities  was 
very  large,  and  interest  was  sustained  and  deepened  to 
the  very  close  by  the  able  discussions  and  eloquent  ad- 
dresses, each  successive  event  making  a  fresh  impression 
of  appropriateness  and  importance,  and  the  more  serious 
features  of  the  celebration  being  happily  relieved  by 
lighter  entertainments. 


20  UNION    COLLEGE, 

The  fii-st  of  the  coiiiincncement  exercises  was  a  deliate 
between  the  Adelphio  and  Pliiloinatliean  Literary  Socie- 
ties for  the  Allison-Foote  prize,  wliicli  took  place  at  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  Friday  eveninji;,  June  21. 
The  question  for  debate  was,  "  Resolved,  that  '  Coin's  Fi- 
nancial School 'antagonizes  the  true  interests  of  America." 
Three  undero-raduates  s]»oko  on  each  side.  The  Adelpliic 
Society,  wliidi  liud  the  allHnnativc,  received  the  award, 
and  the  first  Adelpliic  speaker,  Rockwell  H.  Potter,  of 
the  Class  of  '95,  won  the  individual  prize. 

On  Saturday  afternoon  occurred  the  Class  day  exercises 
of  the  graduating  class,  and  in  the  evening  the  Junior 
and  Sophomore  prize  contest  in  oratory,  and  the  contest 
in  extemporaneous  speaking  for  the  R.  C.  Alexander 
prize.  Large  audiences  attended  and  greeted  the  several 
competitors  with  the  accustomed  generosity  of  applause. 

On  Sunday  the  centennial  commemoration  proper  was 
inaugurated  with  a  morning  service  at  the  First  Reformed 
Church.  The  pastor,  Rev.  A.  C.  Sewall,  D.  D.,  and  Presi- 
dent Raymond  conducted  the  devotional  exercises,  and 
the  memorial  discourse  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  George 
Alexander,  D.  D.,  of  the  Class  of  '66,  pastor  of  the  Uni- 
versity Place  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York. 

In  the  afternoon,  at  the  same  place,  occurred  an  inter- 
denominational conference  on  religion  and  education. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Sewall  presided,  and  with  brief  and  appro- 
priate remarks  introduced  representatives  of  five  great 
religious  bodies,  (Mich  of  whom  discussed  the  question 
from  the  view  point  of  his  own  denomination.  The  tone 
of  the  whole  conference  was  admirable  and  inspiring,  and 
the  spirit  of  union  which  prevailed  illustrated  the  devel- 
opment of  the  lil)eral  principles  upon  which  Union  Col- 
lege was  founded. 

A  great  audience  gathered  in  the  evening  to  hear  the 
baccalaureate  sermon  which  was  delivered  by  the  Right 
Rev.  William  Croswell  Doanc,  Bishop  of  Al)>any.     Presi- 


SKETCH   OF   THE   COMMEMOEATION.  l21 

(lent  Raymond  eoudueted  tlie  devotional  exercises.  In 
introducing  the  preacher  he  commented  upon  the  fact 
that  the  Right  Rev.  George  W.  Doane,  Bishop  of  New 
Jersey,  was  present  at  the  semi-centennial  of  Union  Col- 
lege fifty  years  ago,  and  expressed  great  pleasure  that 
the  son  of  the  distinguished  prelate  who  participated  in 
the  former  celebration  was  to  have  part  in  the  exercises 
of  this  occasion.  The  sermon  was  addressed  especially  to 
the  graduating  class  and  forcibly  urged  the  responsibili- 
ties of  young  men. 

Monday  was  devoted  exclusively  to  the  discussion  of 
educational  problems  by  men  of  reputation  and  achieve- 
ment in  school,  college,  and  university  work.  The  sev- 
eral papers  and  addresses  were  listened  to  with  absorbing 
interest  by  audiences  largely  composed  of  educators, 
and  elicited  lively  and  earnest  discussion.  A  pleasant 
diversion  in  the  exercises  of  the  day  came  in  the  after- 
noon, when  a  spirited  athletic  contest  was  held  under  the 
direction  of  the  Athletic  Track  Association  on  the  college 
oval. 

Tuesday,  Alumni  Day,  was  the  day  of  all  days  to  the 
older  graduates.  The  jirogram  followed  the  usual  cus- 
tom, the  annual  meetings  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and 
Sigma  Xi  being  the  first  order  of  business. 

The  meeting  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  which  was  largely 
attended,  assembled  in  the  Washburne  Building.  Otfi- 
cers  were  elected,  and  matters  of  interest  to  the  Chapter 
were  considered. 

At  the  Sigma  Xi  meeting  in  the  adjoining  room, 
amendments  to  the  constitution  were  acted  upon,  and 
other  business  was  transacted. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation was  called  to  order  by  the  President,  Hon.  Amasa 
J.  Parker.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  nominate  offi- 
cers for  the  ensuing  year.  Hon.  D.  C.  Robinson,  Rev. 
Stealy  B.  Rossiter,  D.  D.,  and  Mr.  C  R.  Bailey  were  ap- 

9* 


22  UNION    COLLEGE. 

pointed  a  coiumitteo  to  solicit  subscriptions  for  tli«'  [>ur- 
pose  of  purchasing  tlu?  lil>rary  of  the  late  Tayler  Lewis, 
and  at  once  ])(\<2:an  their  work  witli  ^ratifyin^  success. 

The  Nominating  Committee  r<^port(Ml  the  following  list 
of  otfteers  for  the  ensuing  year:  President,  Hon.  Amasa 
J.  Parker;  Vice-President,  Rev.  Charles  D.  Nott,  D.  D. ; 
Secretary,  William  T.  Clute,  M.  D.;  Treasurer,  Herman  V. 
Mynderse,  M.  D. ;  Executive  (''ommittee,  William  H.  ^NIc- 
Eh-oy,  Edward  P.  White,  Nelson  Millard,  James  Heatley, 
and  Alonzo  P.  Strong.  The  persons  named  were  duly 
elected. 

A  committee  of  five  of  the  Alumni  were  appointed  to 
confer  with  the  Trustees  for  the  pui-pose  of  advancing  the 
financial  interests  of  the  college.  President  Parker  ap- 
pointed Rev.  Daniel  Addison,  Rev.  Teunis  S.  Hamlin, 
D.  D.,  Rev.  William  D.  Maxon,  D.  D.,  Hon.  George  E. 
Hazelton,  and  Courtland  V.  Anable,  Esq.,  as  such  Com- 
niittee. 

Shortly  after  one  o'clock  the  Alumni  adjourned  to  Me- 
morial Hall  for  the  centennial  banquet,  at  which  more 
than  five  hundred  guests  assembled.  This  occasion  w^as 
one  of  great  enthusiasm  and  enjoyment.  Repeated  bursts 
of  cheering  and  song  punctuated  the  proceedings.  Presi- 
dent Raymond  presided  with  marked  grace  and  dignity 
and  introduced  the  distinguished  representatives  of  sister 
colleges. 

After  the  banquet  the  ivy  exercises  of  the  Class  of  '95 
were  held  in  the  college  garden  under  the  historic  elm  so 
familiar  to  all  sons  of  Union. 

The  reception  given  by  President  and  Mrs.  Raymond 
at  five  o'clock  was  largely  attended  by  the  Alumni. 

The  exercises  of  Tuesday  evening  consisted  of  com- 
memorative addresses  and  the  delivery  of  the  centennial 
poem.  The  ineeting  was  presided  over  by  Rev.  Charles 
D.  Nott,  D.  D.,  '54.  Hon.  George  P.  Danforth,  LL.  D.,  '40, 
and  Rev.  Stealy  B.  Rossiter,  D.  D.,  'G5,  were  the  speakers. 


SKETCH   OF   THE   COMMEMORATION.  23 

The  centennial  poem,  entitled  "The  Roll  Call,"  was  read 
by  Hon.  William  H.  McElroy,  LL.  D.,  '61.  One  of  the 
greatest  throngs  of  the  commencement  week  was  in  at- 
tendance, and  the  attention  of  the  vast  audience  was  sus- 
tained to  the  very  close. 

Wednesday  was  Memorial  Day.  The  exercises  were 
opened  by  (Tcneral  Daniel  Buttcrheld  from  the  steps  of 
the  Library.  In  concluding  his  introductory  speech  he 
said,  "  Let  the  flag  be  raised  over  old  Union,"  and  with 
his  closing  words  the  stars  and  stripes  were  hoisted  above 
the  Memorial  Building. 

Major  Austin  A,  Yates,  the  orator  of  the  occasion, 
awakened  great  enthusiasm  by  his  address  on  "  The  Col- 
lege in  Patriotic  Service."  Weston  Flint,  '47,  then  read 
an  original  patriotic  poem  entitled,  "  The  Old  Flag." 

The  second  session  of  the  day  was  held  in  the  tent 
erected  at  the  east  of  the  chapel.  The  topic  was  "  The 
College  in  Professional  Life."  W.  H.  H.  Moore,  '44, 
presided,  but  during  the  closing  part  of  the  exercises 
yielded  the  chair  to  his  classmate,  Rev.  Philip  Phelps, 
D.  D.  The  three  great  professions, —  law,  divinity,  and 
medicine, —  were  ably  represented  by  Hon.  J.  Xewton 
Fiero,  '67,  Rev.  Tennis  S.  Hamlin,  '67,  and  Major  John 
Van  R.  Hoff,  M.  D.,  U.  S.  A.,  '71. 

After  these  exercises  the  annual  base-ball  game  between 
the  Alumni  and  University  nines  afforded  much  amuse- 
ment. 

At  one  o'clock  the  Alumni  again  assembled  in  the  Me- 
morial Building  for  the  annual  banquet.  Hon.  Amasa 
J.  Parker,  president  of  the  Alumni  Association,  acted 
as  toast-master.  President  Raymond  made  several  an- 
nouncements of  gifts  to  the  college  and  introduced 
Professor  Charles  F.  Richardson,  of  Dartmouth  College, 
who  had  been  prevented  from  attending  the  banquet  of 
the  day  previous.  The  regular  order  of  toasts  was  then 
followed. 


24  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Hon.  Silas  B.  Brownell,  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, in  responding  for  that  body,  said,  in  the  course  of 
his  speech: 

At  this  time  last  year,  but  not  in  this  phicc,  I  had  the  pleasure 
to  assist,  on  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  the  inauguration 
of  our  President.  I  then  foreshadowed,  from  wliat  we  knew  of 
him,  what  we  might  expeet  of  him.  To-day,  fellow  alumni,  you 
see  what  has  already  been  accomplished.  [Applause.]  Not 
alone  does  the  occasion  bring  you  all  u})  here.  Not  alone  have 
the  hundred  years  that  are  gone  and  our  hopes  for  the  unknown 
years  ahead  brought  you  here.  But  a  great  element  in  bringing 
you  here  has  been  the  feeling  that  during  the  past  year  we  have 
thrown  to  the  winds  our  fears  and  that  we  are  now  enjoying  the 
prospects  for  the  future  which  have  been  eloquently  pictured 
more  than  once  on  this  occasion.  We,  gentlemen  of  the  alumni, 
feel  that  we  have  the  right  man  in  the  riglit  place.     [Applause.] 

I  want  to  call  the  attention  of  the  alumni  to  one  other  thing,  a 
thing  which  I  am  sure  has  impressed  the  Board  of  Trustees  both 
officially  and  individually.  We  know,  gentlemen,  that  in  this 
country  there  are  millions  upon  millions  now  seeking  investment 
in  the  direction,  as  has  been  said  by  the  last  speaker,  of  speciali- 
zation in  education ;  and  as  long  as  any  institution  shows  that  it 
is  worthy  of  confidence  and  support,  and  worthy  to  be  the  object 
of  individual  beneficence,  so  long  it  may  rely  upon  the  American 
people  to  furnish  the  means  which  are  necessary  to  carry  out 
well-designed  and  well-executed  systems  of  education.  What  we 
want  and  what  we  are  likely  to  get  are  clearly  sliown  by  the  two 
notices  which  President  Raymond  has  just  read  of  offers  to  es- 
tablish fellowships.  These  two  funds  are  for  university  work, 
for  post-graduate  study  —  I  call  your  attention  to  that  fact : 
they  were  each  given  for  education  in  the  law. 

Now  I  say,  as  the  distinguished  Dartmouth  orator  has  said,  we 
have  Union  College.  Look  at  what  she  has  done.  Look  at  what 
she  is  doing,  and  what  we  may  expect  her  to  do  in  the  future,  in 
the  century  which  is  just  before  her.  So  long  as  time  endures, 
will  endure  institutions  of  learning  which  repose  in  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people.  Under  all  dynasties,  through  all  changes, 
through  all  revolutions,  they  continue  so  long  as  they  deserve  to 
continue.     We  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  charge  you  that,  as  we 


SKETCH   OF    THE   COMMEMORATION.  25 

deserve  3'our  support,  as  Union  (V)llegc  deserves  your  support, 
vou  should  eontribute  to  it. 


Melville  D.  Laiidoii,  of  the  class  of  '61,  better  known  as 
"Eli  Perkins,"  followed  with  one  of  his  inimitable  speeches 
full  of  wit  and  humor,  which  provoked  ^reat  merriment. 
Hon.  James  L.  Meredith  responded  for  the  Class  of  '65 ; 
Henry  C.  Hodgkins,  for  the  Class  of  '75 ;  Hon.  Wallace  P. 
Foote,  for  the  Class  of  '85 ;  and  Rockwell  H.  Potter,  for 
the  Class  of  '95.  Professor  George  W.  Clarke  spoke  briefly 
for  the  Class  of  '40 ;  Rev.  S.  Mills  Day  for  the  Class  of  '50. 
Hon.  John  M.  Bailey,  of  the  Class  of  '61,  responded  to 
repeated  calls  from  the  audience.  Professor  John  F. 
Grenung,  of  Amherst  College,  represented  the  Class  of  '70, 
and  made  the  closing  speech,  in  which  he  referred  to  the 
fact  that  the  Amherst  Classes  of  1823  and  1824  had  re- 
ceived their  degrees  from  Union  College. 

Immediately  after  the  banquet  the  Alumni  and  their 
guests  repaired  to  the  tent  on  the  campus  to  celebrate 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Engineer- 
ing School.  President  Cady  Staley,  of  the  Case  School 
of  Applied  Science,  who  was  for  many  years  in  charge  of 
this  department,  presided.  At  the  close  of  his  address 
President  Staley  introduced  his  successor  in  that  office, 
Professor  Brown,  who  made  a  brief  address.  Hon.  War- 
ner Miller,  of  the  Class  of  '60,  then  claimed  the  interest  of 
the  great  audience  while  he  spoke  upon  "  The  College  in 
Industrial  and  Commercial  Life."  In  closing  the  exer- 
cises President  Raymond  called  attention  to  the  broad- 
ness of  the  engineering  course,  and  presented  Prof.  Olin 
H.  Landreth,  of  the  Class  of  '76,  the  recently  elected  head 
of  the  Engineering  Department. 

In  the  evening,  at  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  oc- 
curred the  last  of  the  college  commemorative  exercises. 
Hon.  Silas  B.  Brownell,  Chairman  of  the  Boai-d  of  Trus- 
tees, introduced  the  presiding  officer  of  the  evening,  John 


26  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Gary  Evans,  «>f  llic  Class  of  '83,  (lovcriior  of  South  Caro- 
lina, who  after  a  brief  address  iutrodueed  the  other  speak- 
ers of  the  evening,  Hon.  David  C.  Rol)inson,  of  the  Class 
of  '65,  and  Hon.  Charles  Emory  Smith,  LL.  D.,  of  the 
Class  of  'GO,  late  Minister  to  Russia.  Th«.'  college  glee 
club  furnisluMl  delightful  music  for  the  occasion,  and  the 
great  throng  present  indicated  that  popular  interest  in 
the  celebration  was  unabated. 

Thursday,  Commencement  Day,  dawned  bright  and 
beautiful.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  procession 
formed  along  the  terrace  on  College  Hill  in  the  following 
order:  First,  the  undergraduates  in  the  order  of  their 
classes,  f reslimen  in  front ;  nt^xt,  the  Alumni  in  the  order 
of  their  classes,  the  more  recent  graduates  in  front ;  third, 
the  Faculty ;  fourth,  distinguished  visitors ;  fifth,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  the  President.  The  procession, 
in  impressive  numbers,  marched  down  Union  Street  to 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  wliere  they  were  joined  by 
the  Honorary  Chancellor.  Ranks  were  opened,  and  in 
inverse  order  the  procession  passed  up  the  long  approach 
and  entered  the  old  church  in  which  so  many  college 
functions  have  been  performed. 

The  graduating  exercises  of  the  Class  of  '95  were 
opened  with  the  singing  of  the  hymn : 

From  all  that  dwell  below  the  skies 

Let  the  Creator's  praise  arise ; 
Let  the  Redeemer's  name  be  sung 

Through  every  land,  ])y  every  tougiie. 

Eternal  are  Thy  mercies,  Lord  ! 

Eternal  truth  attends  Thy  word  : 
Thy  praise  shall  sound  from  shore  to  shore 

Till  suns  shall  rise  and  set  no  more. 

Rev.  Robert  Russell  Booth,  D.  D.,  Modei'ator  of  the 
Presbyterian  General  Ass'embly,  offered  the  invocation. 


SKETCH   OF    THE   COMMEMOEATION.  27 

The  orators  of  the  Centennial  Class  then  pci-t'oriiKMl  lli(ir 
parts  as  indicated  in  the  program.  The  University  cele- 
bration followed.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  crowded  audi- 
ence reached  its  cHmax  when  Kev.  Eliphalet  Nott  Potter, 
D.  D.,  President  of  Hobart  College,  inti'oduced  his  bro- 
ther, the  Right  Rev.  Henr}^  C.  Potter,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of 
New  York,  who  as  Honorary  Chancellor  of  the  University 
delivered  the  centennial  oration. 

President  Raymond  then  advanced  and  said : 

On  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  I  wish  to  announce 
the  election  yesterday  of  a  life  trustee,  Nicholas  Van 
Vranken  Franchot,  of  Olean,  of  the  Class  of  '75. 

The  members  of  the  Graduating  Class  will  now  present 
themselves  for  their  degrees. 

The  class  marching  up  the  central  aisle  filled  the  plat- 
form, and  were  addressed  by  the  President  as  follows : 

Young  gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class, — It  now  be- 
comes my  pleasant  duty  to  confer  upon  you  the  de- 
grees to  which  you  are  entitled.  I  had  thought  at  one 
time  of  addressing  to  you  a  few  personal  words;  but 
surely  after  the  words  to  which  you  have  just  listened, 
no  further  speech  is  needed.  You  must  have  caught  the 
spirit  of  that  centennial  oration  and  of  all  the  exercises  of 
this  centennial  week,  and  realize  that  if  your  lives  are  to 
attain  the  ends  which,  in  your  hopes  and  your  prayers, 
you  set  before  you,  it  will  be  not  only  by  devotion  to 
your  work,  but  by  the  cultivation  of  a  spirit  that  brings 
you  into  sympathy  with  all  that  is  best  in  man,  in  sym- 
pathy with  God  Himself.  And  so,  in  the  name  of  Him 
who  has  given  unto  us  and  to  all  men  the  truth,  I  bid  you 
go  forth  on  your  mission  of  blessing  this  world. 

The  Board  of  Trustees,  upon  recommendation  of  the 
Faculty  of  Union  College,  have  granted  the  degree  of 


28  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Bac'lu'loi-  of  Ai'ts  to  the  t'oUovviiig  int'iiilu'i-s  of  tlic  S«.'iiior 
Class : 

THEoDom:  Floyd  Havm:s West  Kortri^'ht. 

James  Michael  Cass Wjitauga,  Tcnn. 

Harvey  Clements Schenectady. 

James  Alexander  Collins Amsterdam. 

Albert  S.  Cox Sclienectady. 

Clarke  Winslow  Crannell     ....  Albany. 

Bartholomew  Howard North  Brookfield,  Mass. 

WALTEii  Stuakt  McEwan      Ijoudouville. 

Howard  Pemherton,  2d Albany. 

Rockwell  Harmon  Potter Glcnvillc 

William  John  Sanderson Walton. 

Armon  SpI'^ncer Newark. 

GrEORGE  LiNius  Streeter Johnstowu. 

Frank  Vander  Bogert      Schenectady. 

John  N.  V.  Vedder Schenectady. 

And  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  to  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Arthur  Elijah  Barnes Clyde. 

Edgar  Brown Manchester. 

William  Grant  Brown Manchester. 

Clarke  Day     Cambridge. 

Loren  C.  Guernsey East  Cobleskill. 

George  A.  Johnston Palatine  Bi-idge. 

Willoughby  Lord  Sawyer Sandy  Hill. 

Merton  R.  Skinner Le  Roy. 

Scott  Winfikld  Skinner Le  Roy. 

William  Edward  Walker Schenectady. 

William  L.  Wilson Scotia. 

And  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  to  the  following : 

William  Allen Clyde. 

Alphonso  Dix  Bissell Le  Roy. 

Henry  Ravenkl  Dwight Charleston,  S.  C. 

DuRYEA  Beekman  Eldredge  ......  Sluiron. 


SKETCH   OF   THE   COMMEMORATION.  29 

Frederick  Klein (Tloversville. 

Lauhiston  Job  Lane         S:Io  Paulo,  lira/il. 

Horatio  M.  Pollock Scliouectady. 

Orman  M.  West Middleburgh. 

W.  Howard  Wukjht ScliciiccitiKly. 

And  the  (logree  of  Bciehelor  of  Eiigiiiooi-iii<;-  to  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Miles  Ayrault,  Jr Tonawanda. 

Henry  Mayberry  Bailey Franklin,  Tenn. 

Carl  L.  Bannister Le  Roy. 

Warren  R.  Borst Albany. 

Bryan  Ogden  Burgin Walton. 

John  A.  Clark,  Jr Sidney. 

Frederick  Marshall  Fames Albany. 

Isaac  Harby Sumter,  S.  C. 

Francis  Edward  Holleran Waterloo. 

Howard  M.  Jones Murfreesboro,  Tenn. 

John  Young  Lav^ery Brookljni. 

Edward  Van  Rensselaer  Payne     .    .    .  Ban  gall. 

Edward  Shalders      Rio  Janeiro,  Brazil. 

Sanford  L.  Vossler St.  Johnsville. 

And  now  by  virtue  of  the  authority  committed  to  me 
by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Union  College,  I  confer  upon 
you  the  degrees  mentioned  in  connection  with  your 
names,  and  salute  you  in  the  name  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  Union  College  as  Bachelors  of  Art,  Bachelors 
of  Philosophy,  Bachelors  of  Science,  and  Bachelors  of 
Engineering. 

[diplomas  presented.] 

By  virtue  of  the  authority  committed  to  me  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Union  College,  on  this  centennial  of 
the  founding  of  the  College,  in  the  presence  of  the  alumni 
and  friends  of  Union  College,  I  am  now  to  confer  the 


30  UNION    COLLEGE. 

honorary  degrees  williiii  the  gift  of  tlie  College  upon  gen- 
tlemen distinguished  in  learning  and  in  service. 

Charles  F.  Richardson,  Professor  of  English  in  Dart- 
moutli  College. 

William  MacDonald,  Professor  of  History  and  vSociol- 
ogy  in  Bowdoin  College. 

Benjamin  H.  Ripton,  Professor  of  History  and  Sociol- 
ogy in  Union  College. 

I  create  you  Doctors  in  Philoso])hy  and  bid  you  enjoy 
all  the  rights,  privileges,  and  lionors  pertaining  to  this 
degree,  and  direct  that  your  names  be  enrolled  as  honor- 
ary graduates  of  Union  College. 

Oren  Root,  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  Hamilton 
College,  I  create  you  a  Doctor  of  Letters,  and  bid  you 
enjoy  all  the  rights,  privileges,  and  honors  of  this  degree, 
and  direct  that  your  name  be  enrolled  as  an  honorary 
graduate  of  Union  College. 

Rev.  Augustus  W.  Cowles,  of  the  Class  of  '41,  founder 
and  president  of  the  Elmira  Female  College.  The  name 
which  I  next  announce  is  one  which  brings  response 
from  the  heart  of  every  graduate  of  Union  College  —  we 
only  regret  that  he  cannot  be  present  with  us  at  this 
time :  the  Rev.  John  W.  Nott,  of  the  Class  of  '46.  These 
I  now  create  Doctors  of  Divinity  and  bid  them  enjoy  all 
the  rights,  privileges,  and  honors  pertaining  to  this  de- 
gree, and  direct  that  their  names  be  enrolled  as  honorary 
graduates  of  Union  College. 

George  Herbert  Palmer,  Professor  of  Ethics  in  Harvard  Col- 
lege. 

Henry  Parks  "VVrkiht,  Dean  of  Yale  College. 

John  Haskell  Hewitt,  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages  in 
Williams  College. 

John  H.  Van  Amrlnoe,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Arts  in  Coluni- 
hia  College. 


SKETCH    OF   THE   COMMEMOKATION.  31 

Anson  1).  Moksk,  I'l-itfcssor  of  Ilistoi-y  in  Aiiilicrst  ('olU'j,^^'. 
William  (i.  Hale,  ProtVssor  of  Latin  in  C'liieau:o  UniviM-sity. 
John  Randolph  Tucker,  of  Washington  and  Lee  LTuiver.sity. 
J.  RuPLTS  Tryon,  Class  of  '58,  Surgeon-Geueral  in  the  United 
States  Navy. 

I  create  you  Doctors  of  Law,  and  bid  you  enjoy  all  the 
riglits,  pi'ivileges,  and  honors  pertaining  to  this  degree, 
and  direct  that  your  names  be  en  rolled  as  honorary  grad- 
uates of  Union  College. 

The  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  was  also  con- 
ferred upon  Mrs.  Alice  Freeman  Palmer,  formerly  Presi- 
dent of  Wellesley  College. 

The  audience  then  arose  and  sang  with  great  enthu- 
siasm the 


SONG  TO   OLD   UNION. 

BY   FITZHUGH   LUDLOW,  '56. 

Let  the  Grecian  dream  of  his  sacred  stream, 

And  sing  of  the  brave  adorning 
That  Phoebus  weaves  from  his  laurel  leaves 

At  the  golden  gates  of  morning; 
But  the  brook  that  bounds  through  Union's  grounds 

Gleams  bright  as  the  Delphic  water, 
And  a  prize  as  fair  as  a  god  may  wear 

Is  a  dip.  from  our  Alma  Mater. 

Chorus. —  Then  here  's  to  thee,  the  brave  and  free; 
Old  Union  smiling  o'er  us; 
And  for  many  a  day,  as  thy  walls  grow  gray. 
May  they  ring  with  thy  children's  chorus. 

Could  our  praises  throng  on  the  waves  of  song. 

Like  an  Orient  fleet  gem-bringing, 
We  would  bear  to  thee  the  argosy. 

And  crown  thee  with  pearls  of  singing. 


32  UNION    COLLEGE. 

\iu\  thy  smile  bcaiiis  down  IxMicath  a  crown, 

VV^liose  f^lory  asks  no  other ; 
We  gather  it  not  from  the  green  sea-grot — 

'T  is  the  love  we  bear  our  mother. 

Chorus. —  Then  liere  's  to  thee,  etc. 

Let  the  joy  that  falls  from  thy  dear  old  walls, 

Unchanged,  brave  time's  on-darting, 
And  onr  only  tear  fall  once  a  year 

On  hands  that  clasp  ere  parting; 
And  when  other  throngs  shall  sing  our  songs. 

And  their  spell  once  more  hath  bound  us, 
Our  faded  hours  shall  revive  their  flowers, 

And  the  past  shall  live  around  us. 

Choeus. —  Then  here  's  to  thee,  etc. 

Prizes  were  then  awarded  as  follows : 

The  Warner  Prize,  to  Rockwell  H.  Potter. 

The  Ingham  Prize,  to  Harvey  Clements. 

The  Allen  Prizes,  to  John  N.  V.  Vedder,  Harmon  Spencer,  and 

Albert.  8.  Cox. 
The  Clark  Prizes,  to  GtEORGE  J.  Dann  and  D.  Howard  Craver. 
Junior  Oratorical  Prizes,  to  George  J.  Dann  and  D.  Howard 

Craver.  *, 

Sophomore  Oratorical  Prizes,  to  Howard  R.  Furbeck  and  Ira 

HOTALING. 

Engineering  Prize,  to  F.  M.  Fames,  E.  Van  R.  Payne,  and  Ed- 
ward Shalders. 

The  Gilbert  K.  Harroun  Prize,  to  John  N.  V.  Vedder. 

The  Blatchford  Oratorical  Medals,  to  John  N.  V.  Vedder  and 
Rockwell  H.  Potter. 

Special  Honors,  awarded  by  vote  of  the  Faculty,  were 
announced  as  follows: 

In  Biology,  Edgar  Brown,  Albert  S.  Cox,  Henry  R.  D wight, 
L.  J.  Lane,  Horatio  M.  Pollock,  George  L.  Streeter, 
Orman  West. 


SKETCH   OF    THE   COMMEMORATION.  33 

111  Chemistry,  William  E.  Walker,  W.  Howard  Wright. 

Ill  P]nc^lisli,  Theodore  F.  Bayles. 

Ill  French,  Loren  C.  Guernsey,  Horatio  M.  Pollock,  Edward 

Shalders. 
lu  German,  Edgar  Bro-wtst,  Loren  C.  Guernsey,  George  A. 

Johnston,   Frederick   Klein,    Howard   Pemberton  2d, 

George,  L.  Streeter. 
In  Mathematics,  John  N.  V.  Vedder. 
In  Physics,  John  N.  V.  Vedder. 
In  Philosophy,  Rockwell  H.  Potter. 
In  Latin,  Theodore  F.  Bayles. 
In  Greek,  Rockwell  H.  Potter. 


In  awarding  the  Bntterfield  prizes,  President  Raymond 
introduced  the  founder  of  this  lecture  course,  General 
Bntterfield,  who  said : 

Mk.  President,  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
and  of  the  Faculty,  Graduates  and  Undergraduates:  Most 
of  you  have  been  aware  of  the  purposes  and  uses  of  this 
course  of  lectures.  The  report,  necessarily  voluminous, 
was  printed  and  distributed  to  avoid  taking  up  the  time 
set  apart  for  the  award  of  the  prizes  and  diplomas  by 
reading  it. 

This  course  of  lectures  had  its  origin  at  a  dinner  of  the 
New  York  Alumni  Association  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
at  which  were  recalled  Dr.  Nott  and  his  talks  to  students 
in  the  days  when  I  was  here,  where  you  young  gentlemen 
are  now,  and  the  value  of  the  discourses  which  he  secured 
to  the  students  by  bringing  here  eminent  men  to  speak 
before  them.  This  course  of  lectures  I  offered  to  the 
college  at  that  dinner,  with  a  series  of  prizes  to  be  con- 
nected with  it.  If  you  find  any  value  of  an  educational 
and  practical  character  in  these  lectures,  please  remem- 
ber, young  gentlemen,  in  the  future,  that  they  came 
through  the  intercourse  of  alumni  in  the  pleasures  of  an 
3 


34  UNION    COLLEGE. 

alumni  association  reunion.  You  sliould  all  join  one  in 
your  various  localities.  I  hope  that  in  the  future  these 
may  be  the  means  of  prompting  other  good  woi-ks  for  our 
Alma  Mater. 

The  full  award  of  prizes  cannot  be  made  at  this  time. 
As  you  will  find  stated  in  the  Report,  the  three  schools, 

—  the  Union  Classical  Institute  of  Schenectady,  the  Coop- 
erstown  Union  School,  and  the  Cobleskill  High  School, 

—  all  stand  very  high  for  the  $150  prizes  awarded  to  the 
preparatory  school  or  teachers  whose  pupils  gain  the 
highest  number  of  special  prizes  and  the  highest  number 
of  marks.  The  remaining  lectures  to  be  given  may 
change  the  status  of  the  school  which  now  stands  highest. 
Of  course  it  becomes  the  teachers  of  the  preparatory 
schools  to  enter  the  largest  number  of  freshmen  possible 
in  the  next  year's  classes. 

The  awards  and  marks  were  made  by  separate  judges 
upon  each  lecture.  Double  Firsts  in  those  awards  were 
Douglass  Campbell,  Class  of  '94 ;  Major  Allen  Twiford,  of 
the  Class  of  '96 ;  Horatio  M.  Pollock,  of  the  Class  of  '95 ; 
and  Roscoe  Guernsey,  of  the  Class  of  '96.  Awards  of 
special  prizes  were  to  Roger  Griswold  Perkins,  '94 ;  Fred- 
erick M.  Fames,  '95;  Norman  E.  Webster,  '96;  Clark 
Winslow  Crannell,  '95;  Edwin  G.  Conde,  '93;  John  Y. 
Lavery,  '95;  Raymond  A.  Lansing,  '94;  Theodore  F. 
Bayles,  '95 ;  William  D.  Reed,  '98 ;  D.  Howard  Craver,  '96 ; 
and  Paul  Canfield,  '97.  Those  entitled  to  "  Very  High 
Class  Competition  Diplomas"  are  Charles  A.  Burliank, 
'93 ;  John  Van  Schaick,  Jr.,  '94 ;  Edward  K.  Nicholson, 
'96;  Lauranco  C.  Baker,  '95;  George  H.  Hoxie,  '93;  Allen 
Wright,  Jr., '93;  Frederick  Todd,  '97;  James  M.  Cass,  '95; 
and  Harris  Lee  Cooke,  '94. 


These  prizes  were  presented,  and  the  exercises  were 
closed  with  the  benedi<;tion  pronounced  by  Bishop  Potter. 


SKETCH   OF   THE   COMMEMORATION.  35 

Thus  ended  the  official  exercises  of  the  most  memor- 
able commencement  in  Union's  history. 

A  great  throng  of  alumni  and  citizens  attended  the 
President's  reception  in  the  evening.  This  was  followed 
by  the  commencement  ball  given  by  the  members  of  the 
graduating  class.  Memorial  Hall  was  gorgeously  illu- 
minated and  decorated  for  the  most  brilliant  social  func- 
tion that  College  Hill  had  ever  known. 

From  beginning  to  close  the  Centennial  Celebration 
jiroved  a  most  gratifying  success.  "  Old  Union  "  was  fit- 
tingly honored,  and  fresh  inspiration  was  gathered  from 
the  past  for  the  new  century  upon  which  she  entered. 


HISTORY  OF   THE   COLLEGE 

BY   ROBERT   C.   ALEXANDER, 

Of  the  ('loss  of  1880. 

THE  history  of  Union  College,  in  its  origin  and  during 
its  early  years,  is  a  narrative  of  toil,  sacrifice,  faith, 
constancy,  indomitable  energy,  and  ultimate  success.  Long 
before  its  incorporation  the  struggle  began.  As  early  as 
1779  petitions  were  circulated,  addressed  to  the  Governor 
and  Legislature,  in  response  to  which  a  charter  was 
drawn,  but  for  some  reason  never  signed  or  sealed.  It 
recited  that 

"Whereas  a  great  number  of  respectable  inhabitants 
of  the  counties  of  Albany,  Tryon  (Montgomery),  and 
Charlotte  (Washington),  taking  into  consideration  the 
great  benefit  of  a  good  education,  the  disadvantages 
they  labor  under  for  want  of  means  of  acquiring  it,  and 
the  loud  call  there  now  is,  and  no  doubt  will  be  in  a 
future  day,  for  men  of  learning  to  fill  the  several  offices 
of  Church  and  State,  and  looking  upon  the  town  of  Schen- 
ectady as  in  every  respect  the  most  suitable  and  commo- 
dious seat  for  a  seminary  of  learning  in  this  State,  or  per- 
haps in  America,  have  presented  theii*  humble  petition 
to  the  Governor  and  Legislature  of  this  State,  earnestly 
requesting  that  a  number  of  gentlemen  may  be  incorpor- 
ated in  a  body  politic,  who  shall  be  empowered  to  erect  a 


38  UNION    COLLEGE. 

college  in  the  place  aforesaid,  to  hold  sufficient  funds  for 
its  support,  to  make  ])i(>i«'i'  laws  for  its  government,  and 
to  confer  de<;-rees."  Tliis  institution  was  to  have  been 
called  Clinton  College,  in  honor  of  New  York's  great 
Governor.  It  contemplated  the  creation  of  a  corporate 
body  by  an  executive  act,  therein  following  the  colonial 
precedents.  Seven  years  later  the  Board  of  Regents  of 
the  University  was  created,  and  upon  that  Board  there- 
after devolved  the  chartering  of  New  York  colleges. 
The  petition  of  the  "respectable  inhabitants"  seems  to 
have  been  favorably  received,  Init  the  exigencies  of  the 
war  probably  diverted  attention  from  the  project  for  the 
time,  and  the  unsealed  charter  in  the  State  Library  at 
Albany  contains  all  that  is  known  to-day  of  "  Clinton 
College." 

But  the  widespread  belief  that  there  should  be  a  col- 
lege in  Schenectady  was  too  deep-rooted  to  be  readily 
abandoned.  Dominie  Dirck  Romeyn,  pastor  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  in  Schenectady,  who  more  than 
any  other  man  is  entitled  to  be  styled  the  founder  of 
Union  College,  was  unremitting  in  his  efforts  to  secure 
the  charter,  as  is  evident  from  his  letters  during  the 
period  1779-1795. 

Again,  in  1779,  as  appears  from  the  Assembly  Journal 
of  that  year,  "  a  petition  was  received  from  John  Cuylei', 
and  542  inhabitants  of  Albany  and  Tryon  counties,  and 
from  Thomas  Clarke  and  131  others  of  Charlotte  County, 
for  a  college  in  Schenectady."  No  action  seems  to  have 
been  taken  on  the  petition. 

An  interesting  recital  is  that  which  follows,  contained 
in  the  memorial  of  1795  to  the  Board  of  Regents : 

"In  the  year  1782  the  citizens  of  the  northern  and 
western  parts  of  this  State,  together  with  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Town  of  Schenectady,  amounting  to  near  1200 
subscribers,  applied  to  the  Legislature,  in  session  in  the 
town  of  Kingston,  for  the  institution  of  a  college  in  the 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   COLLEGE. 


39 


Town  of  Schenectady,  for  founding  which  tlic  citizens  of 
Schenectady  alone  proposed  an  estate  valued  at  nearly 
eight  thousand  jtounds  })rin('ipal." 

That  is  all  history  tells  us  of  the  application  of  1782, 
but  in  the  light  of  those  thrilling  times,  how  eloquent  it 
is  of  the  spirit  which  animated  the  Revolutionary  patri- 
ots !  The  war  had  not  yet  closed.  The  smoke  was  still 
rising  from  the  smoldering  ruins  of  burned  habitations 
on  the  northern  and  western  borders,  and  the  echo  of  the 
Indian  warwhoop  had  not  yet  died  away  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Mohawk.     The  long  struggle  for  lil)erty  had  left  the 

people    decimated,  

weary,     and     im-  ^ 

poverished.        Yet  ^^  ^^ 

twelve  hundred  of 
the  citizens  on  the 
northern  and  west- 
ern frontier  sub- 
scribed from  their 
meager  fortunes  to 
the  cause  of  higher 
learning,  and  the 
citizens  of  Sche- 
nectady alone  pro- 
posed to  contribute 
to  the  new  college 

a  sum  of  eight  thousand  pounds.  The  extent  of  this 
sacrifice  is  apparent  when  it  is  remembered  that  by  the 
State  census  fourteen  years  later  the  whole  population 
of  the  town  was  but  3472,  "  of  whom  683  are  electors  and 
381  slaves."  Yet  this  second  application,  even  with  so 
much  of  heroic  self-sacrifice  behind  it,  fared  no  better 
than  that  for  Clinton  College. 

In  February,  1785,  measures  were  taken  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  private  academy  in  Schenectady,  by  mutual 
agreement  among  leading  citizens,  and  it  was  placed  in 


UNION   COLLEGi:   IN"   1795. 


40  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  charge  of  twelve  trustees.  An  academy  building  was 
erected  a  few  years  later  on  the  noi-tliwest  corner  of  what 
are  now  Union  and  Ferry  .streets.  It  was  of  brick,  two 
stories  high,  about  fifty  by  thirty  feet  on  the  ground 
plan,  and  cost  about  $3000.  It  afterwards  became  Union 
College,  and  was  its  only  edifice  until  1804.  The  school 
was  opened  under  the  care  of  Colonel  John  Taylor,  of 
New  Jersey,  and  aj^pears  to  have  been  conducted  with 
much  ability,  being  well  sustained  by  the  community  in 
which  it  was  planted.  This  academy  was  the  germ  of 
Union  College. 

In  December,  1791,  the  managers  of  the  academy  in 
Schenectady  memorialized  the  Legislature  for  a  grant  of 
land  in  the  Oneida  Reservation  to  their  institution,  "in 
order  to  be  in  possession  of  an  estate  that  would  enable 
them  at  an  early  day  to  apply  to  the  Regents  for  incor- 
poration as  a  college  and  to  have  an  amount  of  property 
that  would  justify  the  establishment  of  a  college."  The 
Assembly  records  show  that  the  Committee  rejwrted  it  to 
be  "  derogatory  to  the  interest  of  the  State  to  grant  the 
request." 

In  February,  1792,  the  trustees  of  the  academy  sent 
another  petition  to  the  Regents,  in  which  they  stated 
that  they  had  at  that  time  about  eighty  students  in  the 
English  language,  and  that  they  had  nearly  twenty  pur- 
suing the  study  of  the  learned  languages  and  higher 
branches,  in  prej)aration  for  the  first  or  more  advanced 
classes  in  college.  They  were  fully  convinced  of  their 
ability  to  establish  and  maintain  a  college,  and  had  made 
efforts  that  led  them  to  depend  confidently  upon  rais- 
ing the  fund  needed  for  endowment,  and  asked  for  a  col- 
lege charter.  As  a  foundation  for  their  fund,  the  Town 
of  Schenectady  was  willing  to  convey  to  the  trustees  of 
a  college  as  soon  as  they  were  appointed,  and  by  good 
and  ample  title,  a  tract  of  land  containing  5000  acres.  A 
pledge  of  700  acres  more  was  offered  from  individuals, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  41 

and  a  further  subscription  of  nearly  a  tliousand  pounds 
in  money,  to  be  paid  in  four  instalments,  was  promised 
from  citizens.  The  consistory  of  the  Dutch  Church  of- 
fered to  giv(3  the  building  called  the  "Academy"  for  col- 
lege use,  and  not  to  be  alienated,  estimated  as  worth 
£1500,  and  a  sum  of  money  collected  for  a  library, 
amounting  to  £250  was  likewise  to  be  given. 

But  as  these  funds  could  not  be  realized  or  applied  un- 
less there  was  created  a  Board  of  Trustees  capable  of 
holding  them,  they  prayed  for  an  act  of  incorporation 
from  the  Regents,  with  all  the  powers  and  privileges  con- 
ferred by  law  upon  Columbia  College,  and  that  the  name 
of  the  institution  should  be  "  The  College  of  Schenectady." 

The  Regents  on  the  27th  of  March  denied  this  applica- 
tion u})ou  the  ground  that  sufficient  funds  had  not  been 
provided. 

Failing  in  this  effort,  an  application  was  made  in  No- 
vember of  the  same  year  for  the  incorporation  of  the 
private  institution  as  the  "Academy  of  the  Town  of 
Schenectady."  This  application  was  successful,  and  an 
academic  charter  was  granted  in  January,  1793. 

Early  in  1794,  the  Regents  were  again  petitioned  for  a 
college  charter  for  the  academy,  but  this  was  denied  upon 
the  ground  that  the  state  of  literature  in  the  academy  did 
not  appear  to  be  far  enough  advanced,  or  its  funds  suf- 
ficient to  warrant  its  erection  into  a  college. 

On  December  18, 1791,  was  presented  the  final  and  suc- 
cessful petition  to  the  Board  of  Regents.    It  thus  begins : 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  inhaljitants  of  the  northern  and 
western  counties  of  the  State  of  New  York,  taking  into 
view  the  growing  population  of  these  counties,  and  sen- 
sible of  the  necessity  and  importance  of  facilitating  the 
means  of  acquiring  useful  knowledge,  make  known  that 
we  are  minded  to  establish  a  College  upon  the  following 
principles : 

"  1.  A  college  shall  be  founded  in  the  town  of  Schenec- 


42  UNION    COLLEGE. 

tady,  County  of  Albany,  an<l  State  of  New  York,  to  be 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Union  College. 

"2.  The  said  collogo  shall  V)e  under  the  direction  and 
government  of  twenty-four  trustees,  the  majority  of  which 
trustees  shall  not  at  any  time  be  composed  of  persons  of 
the  same  religious  sect  or  denomination." 

These  two  provisions  mark  a  new  era  in  the  history 
of  American  colleges.  Of  th<'  colleges  which  antedated 
Union,  Harvard,  Yale,  Dartmouth,  and  Williams  were 
distinctly  Congregational ;  William  and  Mary,  St,  John's, 
and  Columbia,  Episcojiai ;  Brown,  Baptist ;  Princeton 
and  Hampden-Sidney,  Presbyterian  ;  Rutgers,  Reformed 
Dutch;  and  Dickinson,  Methodist.  Union  was  the 
first  strictly  non-sectarian  college  in  the  country.  The 
name  itself  was  given  as  expressing  the  intention  of 
uniting  all  religious  sects  in  a  common  interest  and  for 
the  common  good,  by  offering  equal  advantages  to  all, 
with  preference  to  none.  It  was  designed  to  found  an 
institution  upon  the  broad  basis  of  Christian  unity,  and 
this  idea  has  ever  since  been  faithfully  followed  in  the 
spirit  of  the  original  intention,  no  particular  religious  de- 
nomination having  at  any  time  claimed  or  attempted  to 
control  its  management,  or  to  influence  the  choice  of  trus- 
tees or  faculty.  Its  motto,  "  lu  necessanis  lofitas,  in  (h(hiis 
Uhertas,  in  omnibus  caritas,^''  has  been  characteristic  of  the 
perfect  harmony  and  genuine  catholicity  which  have 
marked  its  entire  history. 

At  last  success  crowned  the  efforts  of  the  "citizens," 
and  on  February  25, 1795,  a  charter  was  granted  to  Union 
College,  naming  twenty-four  trustees,  giving  full  power 
for  granting  degrees,  and  the  most  ample  guarantees 
against  denominational  control.  The  chronicles  of  the 
day  record  that  the  granting  of  the  charter,  when  the 
news  reached  Schenectady,  was  celebrated  by  great  re- 
joicing, with  the  ringing  of  bells,  firing  of  cannon,  dis- 
play of  flags,  bonfires,  and  a  general  illumination. 


HISTORY   OF    THE   COLLEGE.  43 

Next  to  Dominie  Romeyii,  to  General  Philip  Schuyler 
belongs  the  honor  of  establishing  the  college  at  Schenec- 
tady. The  (^ity  of  Albany  had  offci'cd  strong  i)ecnniary 
inducements  for  making  the  cajiital  the  site  of  the  col- 
lege, but  the  vigorous  efforts  of  General  Schuyler  so  rein- 
forced the  Schenectady  petition  that  it  secured  the  young 
institution  for  that  town.  The  following  letter  from 
General  Schuyler  to  Dr.  Romeyn,  announcing  the  signa- 
ture of  the  charter,  evinces  the  hearty  interest  he  felt  in 
the  new  college : 

Albany,  March  2,  1795. 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  On  Wednesday  last  the  engrossed 
charter  was  submitted  to  the  Regents  and  approved  of.  and  on 
Frida}-  the  seal  of  the  University  was  affixed  thereto,  with  the 
Chancellor's  signature, —  an  event  the  more  satisfactory  to  me 
as  I  have  long  since  wished  to  see  the  vicinity  of  my  native  place 
honored  with  such  an  institution,  and  I  sincerely  congratulate 
my  fellow-citizens  of  Schenectady  in  particular,  and  the  whole  of 
the  Northern  and  Western  parts  of  the  State  in  general,  on  the 
facility  with  which  they  will  be  able  to  obtain  a  collegiate  edu- 
cation for  their  children.  May  indulgent  Heaven  protect  and 
cherish  an  Institution  calculated  to  promote  virtue  and  the  weal 
of  the  people.  Please  to  request  the  gentlemen  to  whom  has 
been  confided  the  subscription  paper  to  the  funds  of  the  college 
to  add  my  name  to  the  list  for  one  hundred  pounds.  I  shall 
strive  to  procure  a  donation  on  the  part  of  this  State,  and  as  I 
have  already  conversed  with  some  leading  members  on  the  sub- 
ject, I  trust  my  efforts  will  be  successful.  The  charter,  with  all 
the  evidences  of  the  funds,  are,  by  order  of  the  Regents,  to  be 
delivered  to  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  college.  If  Chief  Justice 
Yates  does  not  come  down,  they  will  be  delivered  to  one  of  the 
gentlemen  here,  to  be  delivered  to  him  as  the  first  trustee  named 
in  the  act  of  incorporation.  I  am  with  great  regard,  Reverend 
Sir,  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

Ph.  Schuyler. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Romeyn. 


44 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


A  siil»s«'(iu('iit  act  of  tlio  Legislatiii-e,  April  G,  179."),  au- 
thorized the  trustees  of  the  academy  to  convey,  and  those 
of  tlic  college  to  accept,  the  academy  building  on  Union 
and  Ferry  sti'eets.     The  transfer  was  accordingly  made. 

The  college  was  organized  on  the  19th  of  Octoljcr,  1795, 
by  the  election  of  the  Rev.  John  Blair  Smith,  D.  1).,  of 
Philadelphia,  as  ])i'osidciit ;  John  Taylor,  A.  M.,  as  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics 
and  natural  philos- 
ophy; and  the  Rev. 
Andrew  Yates,  as 
professor  of  the  Latin 
and  Greek  languages. 
The  first  commence- 
ment was  held  in 
May,  1797,  in  the  old 
Reformed  Dutch 
( Uiurch,  and  the  first 
dc^grees  conferred 
upon  three  young 
men  who  had  fin- 
ished the  course  of 
study  then  required. 
This  was  an  occasion 
of  signal  and  novel 
interest  to  all  the 
country  around,  and  drew  together  a  large  and  enthusi- 
astic audience.  These  three  graduates  were,  Cornelius 
D.  Schermerliorn,  of  Greenbush;  Joseph  Sweetman,  of 
Charlton,  and  John  L.  Zabriskie,  of  Schenectady. 

The  two  latter  were  both  living  at  the  semi-centennial 
of  the  college  in  1845,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sweetman  delivered 
the  anniversary  address  on  that  interesting  occasion. 

A  manuscript  report  of  the  Board  of  Regents  to  the 
Legislature,  March  6,  1797,  signed  by  Chancellor  John 
Jay,  and  now  in  the  Union  College  library,  shows  the 


REV.   JOITX     r.LAin  SMITH,  1).  1). 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  45 

progress  made  by  tlio  new  college  during  its  first  two 
years.     An  extract  is  appended  : 

UNION   COLLEGE. 

From  the  report  of  a  Conniiittee  of  the  Trustees  it  appears 
tliat  the  Property  of  the  College  consists  in  various  articles  to 
the  following  amount,  namely  : 

Drs.        Cts. 

Bonds  and  Mortgages  producing  an  annual  Interest 

of  7  per  cent 21,301 

Subscriptions  and  other  Debts  due  on  the  Books  of 

the  Treasurer 4,983      10 

Cash  appropriated  for  the  purchase  of  Books  ....    1,356     45 

House  &  Lot  for  the  President 3,500 

Lot  for  the  Scite  of  the  College .    .    3,250 

House  &  Lot  heretofore  occupied  for  the  Academy  — 
a  donation  from  the  Consistory   of  the  Dutch 

Church 5,000 

Books  &c.  in  the  possession  of  the  Trustees  and  on 

the  way  from  Europe      2,381      99 

Cash  appropriated  by  the  Regents  for  the  purchase  of 

Books  iu  the  hands  of  the  Committee 400 

Legacy  by  Abraham  Yates,  Junr.,  Esq.,  of  Albany  .       250 


42,422      60 


and  160  acres  of  land. 


The  Faculty  of  the  College  at  present  consists  of  the  President 
and  one  Tutor,  and  the  salary  of  the  former,  with  an  House  for 
his  Family  is  1100  dollars  ;  and  of  the  latter  665  dollars  per  An- 
num, with  an  additional  allowance  at  present  of  250  dollars  on 
account  of  the  extraordinary  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life. 
There  are  thirty-seven  Students,  eight  in  the  Class  of  Languages, 
twenty  in  the  Class  of  History  and  Belles  Lettres,  six  in  the 
Class  of  Mathematics,  and  three  in  the  Class  of  Philosophy.  The 
Course  of  Studies  is,  the  first  year,  Virgil,  Cicero's  Oration, 
Greek  Testament,  Lucian,  Roman  Antiquities,  Arithmetic,  and 
English  Grammar;  the  second  year,  Geography  and  the  use  of 


46 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


the  (iIoIk's,  IvoiiiMii  history.  History  of  Amcricii  and  tin-  Amer- 
ican Hevolution,  Xenophon,  Horace,  Criticism,  and  Eloquence; 
the  third  year,  the  various  lii-anclios  of  Mathematies  and  Vnl- 

<;ar  and  Dceiiiial  Frac- 
tions, and  the  Extrac- 
tion of  the  Roots, 
Geonietry,  Algebra, 
Trigonometry,  Navi- 
gation, Mensuration, 
Xenophon,  continued, 
and  Homer ;  and  the 
fourth  and  last  year, 
Natural  Philosophy, 
the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  and  of 
the  different  States, 
Metaphysics,  or  at  least 
that  part  whieli  treats 
of  the  Philosophy  of  the 
Human  mind,  Horace 
continued,  and  Longi- 
nus,  and  during  the 
course  of  these  studies 
the  attention  of  the  classes  is  i)articidarly  required  to  Elocution, 
and  to  Composition  in  the  English  language.  A  Provision  is  also 
made  for  substituting  the  knowledge  of  the  French  Language 
instead  of  Greek,  in  certain  cases,  if  the  funds  should  hereafter 
admit  of  instituting  a  French  professorship,  the  first  optional 
course ;  all  which,  together  with  the  System  of  Discipline,  is  con- 
tained in  a  printed  Copy  of  the  Laws  and  Regulations  for  the 
Government  of  tbe  College,  and  which  accompanies  this  report. 
The  Trustees  farther  report  that  the  Of&cers  of  the  College  dis- 
charge their  duty  with  ability,  diligence  and  fidelity,  and  that 
the  Students  generally  have  exhibited  specimens  of  their  pro- 
gress in  Science  at  the  Examinations,  which  are  public  aiul 
stated  three  times  a  year;  and  finally  that  it  would  essentially 
promote  the  interest  of  that  part  of  the  Country  if  the  Legisla- 
ture would  patronize  with  further  donations  this  infant  Semi- 
nary ;  the  want  of  means  to  endow  professorships  obliges  the 
present  officers  to  atteiul  to  too  many  branches  of  Science;  in  so 


HEV.  JON.iTIIAN  EUWAKBS,   J).  D. 


HISTORY    OF   THE    COLLEGE. 


47 


much  so  that  the  President  has  during  the  present  year  instructed 
the  Chxsses  of  History,  Chronolo»'y,  Antiquities,  (leography,  Na- 
tural and  Moral  Philosophy,  Criticism,  Logic,  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  and  of  the  different  States  and  Languages. 

President  Hiiiitb  resigned  in  1799,  and  was  sueceeded 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  younger,  who  died 
in  office  in  August,  1801.  His  successor  was  Rev.  Dr. 
Jonatlian  Maxcy,  who  resigned  in  1804. 

Although  the  college  was  still  feeble,  it  was  not  with- 


|»Mjj[*2*j*WS5Wpr''^^  i'^ 


51 i'l  I  f '1'1'sl'lTf "! 

liiiiii  §  nil  lis 


I  lis  if  1 1 


Siiilili 


UNION  COLLKGE   IN  1804. 


out  enterprise.  Under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Edwards,  in 
1798,  a  new  edifice  was  begun  on  a  scale  magnificent  for 
that  day.  This  building  was  afterward  known  as  the 
"  West  College,"  located  on  the  corner  of  Union  and  Col- 
lege streets,  and  was  finished  in  1804.     It  was  in  the 


48  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Italian  style  of  architoctiu'o,  and  from  the  designs  of 
Philip  Hooker,  then  an  eminent  architect  of  Albany.  It 
was  of  stone,  three  stories  high,  besides  a  high  basement, 
and  was  snrm()nnte<l  by  a  central  cupola.  The  ground 
plan  measured  150  by  GO  feet,  and  the  original  cost  was 
about  $56,000,  besides  $4000  for  the  site.  It  contained  a 
residence  for  the  president,  the  chapel,  library,  and  reci- 
tation-rooms, and  a  considerable  number  of  dormitories. 
In  1815  it  was  sold  to  the  city  and  county  for  a  court- 
house, jail,  and  city  offices,  and  while  thus  owned  it  was 
commonly  known  as  the  "  City  Hall."  The  college  re- 
ceived in  payment  3000  acres  of  land  in  detached  parcels 
in  various  parts  of  Schenectady  County.  In  1831  it  was 
repurchased  by  the  college  for  $10,000,  and  used  for  the 
library,  cabinets,  and  residence  of  freshmen  and  sopho- 
more classes  until  1854.  It  was  then  resold  to  the  city 
for  the  sum  of  $6000,  and  was  used  by  the  city  as  a  union 
school  until  the  year  1890,  when  it  was  demolished  to 
make  room  for  a  modern  school  building.  Between  1805 
and  1810  a  row  of  two-story  brick  buildings  was  erected 
on  College  Street  for  use  as  dormitories.  It  was  known 
as  the  "  Long  College,"  and  was  sold  about  1830. 

An  event  occurred  in  1804  which  proved  to  be  of  pecu- 
liar and  lasting  advantage  to  the  institution,  and  from 
which  its  success  may  be  justly  dated.  This  event  was 
the  choice  of  the  Rev.  Eliphalet  Nott  as  president.  Mr. 
Nott  was  then  a  young  clergyman  of  Albany,  known  at 
the  time  as  the  eulogist  of  Hamilton,  as  an  eloquent  and 
effective  public  speaker,  of  dignified  and  courteous  man- 
ners, and  distinguished  leai'uing,  luit  not  as  yet  known  for 
that  talent  in  the  education  of  young  men  which  this 
election  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  exercise,  and  which 
has  never  been  surpassed  in  the  history  of  any  American 
college.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a  keen  perception  of 
character,  a  discriminating  judgment  in  developing  la- 
tent talent,  a  dignity  of  manner  commanding  both  love 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  49 

and  respect,  a  facility  in  g-ov^n-niiii;-  younj^  men,  tlie  secret 
of  which  lay  in  teaching  them  to  govern  tliemselves,  and 
a  zeal  and  earnestness  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty,  he 
acquired  and  hehl  thi-ongh  a  long  and  active  life  a  com- 
manding position  as  an  educator. 
The  financial  history  of  Union  College  from  this  period 


REV.   ELIPHALET  NOTT,   D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

until  1853  forms  a  chapter  by  itself.  The  lottery  was  the 
most  beneficent  institution  of  that  day.  Not  only  was 
it  permitted,  but  it  was  specially  authorized  by  law  as  a 
proper  and  legitimate  method  of  raising  money.  It  was 
regarded  as  perfectly  innocent  and  unobjectionable,  and 
was  not  only  tolerated,  but  sustained  and  encouraged  by 
the  whole  Christian  communitv-  Lotteries  were  em- 
8 


50  UNION    COLLEGE. 

ployt'd  to  scciu'c  ruuds  for  cluii'ities,  for  schools,  for 
liospitals,  for  collogos,  and  for  churches.  It  must  not 
bo  tliouglit  Strang*^,  therefore,  that  a  Christian  minister 
like  Dr.  Nott,  follo\vin<)^  the  fasliioii  of  the  day,  invoked 
the  aid  of  this  popular  device. 

When  tin;  new  president  assumed  his  office,  the  finances 
of  the  college  were  in  a  nearly  desperate  condition.  Dur- 
ing the  administi'ations  of  his  three  predecessors  there 
had  been  a  constant  lack  of  funds  to  meet  the  regular 
current  expenses  of  the  college.  The  failure  of  Dr. 
Smith's  expectations  in  this  respe(;t  was  one  cause  of 
his  curly  retirement.  Dr.  Edwards  died,  after  a  short 
incumbency,  weighed  down  with  concern  as  to  the  fate 
of  the  institution  placed  under  his  charge.  Dr.  Maxcy 
was  not  more  fortunate  than  his  predecessors,  and  his 
short  administration  was  a  continuous  struggle  with 
financial  embarrassment,  from  which  extrication  appeared 
hopeless.  Less  than  $35,000  had  been  obtained  from  in- 
<lividual  subscriptions,  and  some  of  these  were  still  un- 
paid. The  State  had  at  various  times  granted,  in  money 
or  in  lands  afterward  sold,  property  which  availed  $78,- 
112.13.  The  new  building  (West  College)  was  still  incom- 
plete, and  the  college  was  badly  in  debt. 

At  this  juncture  the  young  Albany  clergyman  assumed 
the  presidency.  He  at  once  applied  to  the  State  for  aid, 
and  in  March,  1805,  it  came  in  the  shai)e  of  the  grant  of 
the  proceeds  of  four  lotteries  of  $20,000  each.  The  re- 
turns, however,  were  slow,  and  in  1806  the  Legislature 
borrowed  $15,000  on  the  credit  of  the  State  and  loaned  it 
to  the  college,  to  be  repaid  from  the  proceeds  of  the  lot- 
teries. In  1814,  when  the  lotteries  were  wound  up,  the 
colleg<^  had  realized  from  them  about  $76,000,  which  was 
applied  toward  furnishing  the  (Mpiiiunent,  edilices,  and 
instruction  necessary  for  the  rapidly  increasing  number 
of  students. 

A  few  years'  experience  showed  that  the  site  in  the 


HISTORY   OF    THE    COLLEGE.  51 

city  was  not  sufficiently  ainplc,  and  the  ol)sorvin^  eye 
of  Dr.  Nott,  at  an  early  pcM'iod  in  liis  presidency,  had 
noticed  in  the  suburbs  a  better  one,  whicli  com])ined  in  a 
rare  degree  every  advantaj>:e  desiral)le.  On  the  eastern 
border  of  the  city  the  fields  rose  by  a  gentle  slope  to  a 
plain  of  moderate  elevation  and  of  easy  access.  Near 
the  upper  edge  of  this  slope  the  construction  of  a  tei-race 
a  few  feet  higli  would  afford  a  level  campus  of  ample 
space,  and  a  site  for  buildings  that  would  overlook  the 
valley,  the  river,  and  the  neighboring  city,  while  north- 
ward glimpses  of  mountains  blue  in  the  distance,  and 
southwestward  ranges  of  hills  dividing  the  waters  of  the 
Mohawk  and  Susquehanna  rivers,  would  present  a  pan- 
orama of  peculiar  loveliness.  A  gently  murmuring  V)rook 
issuing  from  dense  woodlands  flowed  across  the  grounds 
just  north  of  the  proposed  site,  and  in  the  rear  alternat- 
ing fields  and  groves  extended  several  miles  eastward  to 
the  Hudson. 

A  half  century  later,  in  an  address  before  the  gathered 
alumni  of  Union  who  had  met  to  celebrate  the  anniver- 
sary of  his  accession  to  the  presidency.  Dr.  Nott  thus 
spoke  of  the  new  college  grounds : 

Fifty  years  ago,  having  been  charged  with  the  supervision  of 
Union  College,  I  stood  for  the  first  time  on  yon  rising  grounds, 
where  the  college  edifices  now  stand.  The  same  range  of 
western  hills,  the  same  intervening  luxuriant  flats,  and  the 
same  quiet  river,  winding  through  fields  of  grain  whitening  for 
the  harvest,  then  met  the  eye;  the  same  starry  firmament  over- 
spread the  night,  and  the  same  glorious  sunlight  rendered  visi- 
ble by  day,  in  its  general  outline,  the  whole  lovely  Valley  of 
the  Mohawk. 

The  immediate  college  grounds,  however,  now  so  symmetrical 
and  ornate,  were  then  mere  pasture  ground,  scarred  by  deep 
ravines,  rendered  at  once  unsightly  and  difficult  of  access  by  an 
alternation  of  swamp  and  sand  hill,  and  the  whole  divided  into 
numerous  irregular  compartments,  in  evidence  of  different  own- 


52  UNION    COLLEGE. 

erships.     As  yet,  ncilhcr  slu-iih  noi-  ivi'c.  liad  Ijccii  planted,  walk 
traced,  garden  laid  out,  or  edifice  erected  thereon. 

A  tract  of  some  250  acres  was  secured,  mainly  on  the 
responsibility  of  the  president,  and  new  buildings  begun 
upon  plans  drawn  l)y  M.  Joseph  Jacques  Ramee,  a  French 
engineer  then  eminent  in  this  country,  and  for  a  time 
employed  by  the  National  government  in  planning  forti- 
fications and  public  works. 

In  1890,  in  an  old  print-shop  in  Paris,  a  Union  College 
graduate  of  the  Class  of  '80  discovered  M.  Ramee's  original 
sketch  of  the  gi'ound  plan  of  the  college  buildings  and 
garden.  It  bears  the  inscription  "  (hUk/e  de  P  Union  a 
Schenectady^  Etat  de  Neiv  Yorck,  1813,"  and  is  probably 
the  original  draft  submitted  by  the  architect  to  Dr.  Nott. 
It  was  purchased  and  deposited  in  the  College  Library. 
This  plan  has  been  very  closely  followed  in  the  laying 
out  of  the  grounds  and  the  erection  of  the  successive  col- 
lege buildings.  It  shows  the  ground  plan  of  the  main 
college  buildings,  north  and  south,  the  central  circular 
building,  not  com[)leted  till  1876,  and  the  projected  semi- 
circular building  in  the  rear,  wlii(di  has  still  more  recently 
taken  form  in  tlie  Powers  Memorial  Building,  finished  in 
1884.  The  two  buildings  at  the  ends  of  this  semicircle, 
however,  are  still  to  be  built.  Nor  has  the  lake  in  the 
"college  pasture,"  or  the  Catholic  cross  in  the  garden, 
shown  on  the  Frenchman's  plan,  yet  materialized  into 
being.  The  work  of  construction  was  begun  in  1812  and 
the  two  main  buildings  finished  in  1820,  although  one  of 
them  was  occupied  as  early  as  1814.  These  l)uildings 
are  four  stories  high,  200  feet  by  40  feet  each,  and  cost 
about  $110,000. 

To  meet  this  expense,  application  was  again  made  to 
the  Legislature  in  1814.  Dr.  Nott  was  a  power  in  Albany. 
His  influence  with  the  legislators  and  before  committees 
was  another  instance  of  that  remarkable  force  which  im- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  53 

pressed  itself  upon  all  lie  met.  Otlicr  coUeojes  and  institu- 
tions were  before  the  Legislature  of  1814  as  applicants  for 
aid,  l)ut,  satisfied  that  their  unaided  efforts  would  prove 
iuetfeetual,  they  intrusted  their  cases  to  President  Nott, 
who  generously  advocated  their  claims  in  the  same  breath 
with  his  own,  and  the  benefits  to  Hamilton  College,  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  the  Asbury 
African  Church  of  New  York,  were  included  in  the  same 
gi'aut  as  those  to  Union.  Columbia  College  had  intro- 
duced a  bill  intended  to  grant  to  that  institution  the  cele- 
brated Hosack  Botanical  Garden  in  New  York.  Convinced 
of  the  futility  of  their  independent  claim  for  aid,  the  Co- 
lumbia managers  withdrew  their  special  bill  and  besought 
Dr.  Nott  to  take  up  their  appeal.  This  he  did  so  gener- 
ously and  vigorously  that  the  Columbia  grant  was  at- 
tached as  a  "rider"  to  his  own  lottery  bill,  and  went 
through  with  it.  Thus,  solely  through  the  influence  of 
the  president  of  Union,  Columbia  received  that  magnifi- 
cent property  which  to-day  forms  its  principal  endow- 
ment. The  botanical  garden  granted  to  Columbia  com- 
prised twenty  acres  located  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
Avenues,  Forty-seventh  and  Fifty-first  Streets,  in  New 
York  City,  then  three  and  one  half  miles  out  of  town,  but 
now  the  center  of  the  wealth  and  population  of  the  me- 
tropolis. In  the  same  act  which  gave  to  Columbia  the 
title  to  the  botanical  garden,  it  was  provided  that  within 
one  year  from  the  passage  of  the  act  at  least  one  healthy, 
exotic  flower,  shrub,  or  plant  of  each  kind  it  contained  in 
duplicate  should  be  sent,  with  the  jar  containing  it,  to 
Union  College.  There  is  no  record,  however,  that  Co- 
lumbia ever  complied  with  this  graceful  suggestion  for 
the  recognition  of  Union's  services  in  her  behalf. 

So  marked  was  the  influence  of  Dr.  Nott  in  favor  of  the 
combination  bill  that  at  the  close  of  the  act  in  the  offi- 
cial session  laws  of  1814  was  printed  this  unprecedented 
"Note. — No  bill  before  the  Legislature  excited  greater  in- 


54  UNION    COLLEGE. 

teivst  uiid  alU'iitioii  tlian  tiiis  act.  JMiicli  crcilit  is  due  to 
the  unwearied  exertions  of  the  able  and  eloquent  president 
of  Union  Collejjje  in  promoting  its  passage." 

This  lottery  bill  gi-aiited  to  Union  College  $2()U,()()(),  to 
Hamilton  College  >|;4(),0()(),  to  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  $30,000,  an<l  to  the  Asbury  African  Church 
in  New  York  $4,000,  with  intei-est  for  six  years.  But  the 
managers  of  these  lotteries  appointed  by  the  act  were  so 
remiss  in  selling  the  tickets  that  up  to  1822  not  a  dollar 
of  the  principal  had  been  paid  to  any  of  the  beneficiaries. 
Again,  therefore,  the  good  Doctor  betook  himself  to 
Albany,  and  on  April  5,  1822,  an  act  was  passed  "To 
limit  the  continuance  of  lotteries."  It  recited  the  delay 
in  the  conduct  of  the  concern,  and  authorized  the  institu- 
tions themselves  to  take  the  management  of  the  lotteries, 
direct  the  drawings,  receive  the  avails,  and  pay  the  prizes. 
The  other  beneficiary  institutions,  having  witnessed  the 
failure  of  the  lotteries  during  the  preceding  eight  years, 
took  alarm  at  the  responsibility  this  act  devolved  upon 
them,  and  refused  to  participate  in  the  active  management. 
Not  so  the  president  of  Union.  With  the  consent  of  his 
Board  of  Trustees,  the  president  bought  out,  for  a  satis- 
factory consideration,  the  interest  of  all  the  other  institu- 
tions, for  which  he  borrowed  on  his  own  responsibility 
$75,000,  and  assumed  in  his  own  person  the  entire  man- 
agement of  the  affair.  It  was  this  bold  act,  and  the  trans- 
actions which  followed  it,  which  years  later  brought 
Union  College  into  the  courts,  and  into  legislative  inves- 
tigations, and  which  caused  the  motives  and  acts  of  the 
president  to  be  sharply  arraigned. 

From  this  consolidated  lottery  Union  College  received 
in  all  a  sum  of  $277,000.  Dr.  Nott  had  sub-let  to  Yates 
&  Mclntyre,  a  firm  of  brokers,  the  management  of  the  lot- 
teries, reserving  to  himself  a  percentage  of  the  profits 
from  such  management,  which  were  afterward  found  to 
amount  to  $71,091.29.    In  order  to  save  the  firm  of  Yates 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  00 

&  Meliityre  from  bankruptcy  and  from  imporiling  the 
college  interest  in  the  proceeds  of  the  lottery,  Dr.  Nott 
had  advanced  the  firm  large  sums  of  money  by  pledging 
his  and  his  wife's  pro])erty,  and  had  taken  as  security  a 
bond  for  $150,000.  It  was  the  ownership  of  these  two 
sums  which  years  later  gave  rise  to  the  charges  against 
the  president.  His  enemies  claimed  that  these  profits 
and  the  bond  belonged  to  the  college,  and  not  to  the  Doc- 
tor personally.  This  claim  was,  however,  never  made  by 
the  college,  but  by  newspapers  and  by  outsiders.  The 
charges  were  never  credited  by  the  friends  of  Dr.  Nott,  or 
by  the  college  trustees.  And  the  president  had  frequently 
announced  his  intention  ultimately  to  appropriate  every 
dollar  that  he  derived  as  profits  from  the  lottery  transac- 
tion to  the  benefit  of  Union  College,  a  promise  wdiich  was 
eventually  more  than  fulfilled. 

In  18-1:9  a  resolution  was  introduced  in  the  Assembly 
requiring  a  report  as  to  the  financial  condition  of  Union 
College.  This  was  incited  by  the  reports  of  newspapers 
hostile  to  Dr.  Nott,  charging  that  he  had  appropriated  to 
his  own  use  $560,000  of  the  funds  of  the  college.  A  Com- 
mittee of  the  Assembly  made  an  examination  of  the 
books  and  reported  that  the  "  financial  condition  of  the 
college  was  unsound  and  improper."  This  led,  of  course, 
to  a  thorough  investigation,  in  which  Hon.  John  C.  Spen- 
cer, an  old  pupil  of  Dr.  Nott,  volunteered  his  services  in 
behalf  of  his  old  instructor,  and  his  masterly  argument 
before  the  Committee  was  so  convincing  as  to  complete 
the  vindication  of  his  venerable  instructor  of  other  years 
and  to  remove  the  odium  from  an  honored  name.  Dr. 
Nott  completed  the  discomfiture  of  his  enemies  by  an- 
ticipating the  report  of  the  legislative  committee  and  by 
executing  a  deed  of  trust  which  bestowed  upon  the  col- 
lege a  property  then  estimated  at  over  .$600,000.  Cer- 
tainly the  college  owes  its  high  position  among  American 
colleges  not  only  to  the  scholarship  and  the  reputation  of 


.IG  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Eliplialet  Xott,  but  also  to  liis  financial  skill  and  niuni- 
liceuce  it  owes  its  largest  endowment. 

The  tracing  to  their  culmination  of  the  lotteries  and 
the  difficulties  engendered  by  them  has  caused  a  digres- 
sion from  the  history  of  the  college  itself  and  its  progress 
through  these  years.  Notwithstanding  the  number  and 
the  intricacy  of  the  outside  matters  which  claimed  his  at- 
tention, Dr.  Nott's  first  interests  were  in  "  his  children," 
as  his  pupils  were  affectionately  styled.  From  the  time 
of  the  erection  of  the  new  college  buildings  on  the  hill 
the  number  of  students  steadily  increased  until  in  1820 
the  number  in  all  the  classes  exceeded  300,  and  the  grad- 
uating class  alone  contained  sixty-five.  In  this  class  were 
several  men  who  attained  distinguished  eminence,  among 
whom  were  William  H.  8eward,  Laurens  P.  Hickok,  who 
long  stood  at  the  head  of  American  metaphysicians  ;  AVill- 
iam  Kent,  one  of  New  York's  ablest  jurists ;  Tayler  Lewis, 
the  greatest  linguist  and  classical  scholar  of  his  age,  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Horatio  Foote.  In  1825  Union  had  passed  Har- 
vard and  Yale  in  the  number  of  its  students,  and  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  intervening  years  held  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century  the  honor  of  being  the  largest  college  in  the 
United  States.  The  fame  of  Dr.  Nott  as  an  educator,  the 
high  reputation  of  the  college,  the  excellence  of  its  sys- 
tem and  management,  drew  students  from  all  parts  of 
the  country  to  Schenectady,  and  large  numbers  came 
from  the  lower  classes  of  other  institutions  to  obtain  the 
benefit  of  President  Nott's  senior  lectures,  and  receive 
from  his  hand  their  diplomas.  The  president  drew 
around  him  and  kept  as  his  coadjutors  a  remarkable 
body  of  faithful,  energetic,  and  learned  i)rofessors,  and 
throughout  his  unprecedented  administration  of  sixty- 
two  years  the  college  enjoyed  the  highest  degree  of 
prosperity. 

In  1845  was  celebrated  with  great  enthusiasm  the  semi- 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   COLLEGE. 


57 


centennial  tinniversary  of  tlie  founding  of  the  college, 
for  which  preparations   had  been  made  for  two  years 


KEV.    LAUKKXS   PKKSiJL  S   UK  KoK,  1).  1).,  LL.  U. 


previous.  The  occasion  was  one  of  general  rejoicing 
and  congratulation.  Addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Joseph  Hweetman,  one  of  the  first  graduates,  and  by 
Dr.  Alonzo  Potter,  afterward  vice-president  of  the  col- 
lege. Over  500  of  the  alumni  attended  the  anniversary. 
Another  interesting  anniversary  was  held  nine  years 
later,  on  the  completion  of  the  half-century  of  Dr.  Nott's 
administration,  July  25,  1854.  The  central  point  of  in- 
terest on  this  occasion  was  the  address  of  the  venerable 
president,  which  was  a  compact  review  of  the  labors, 
trials,  and  successes  of  the  fifty  years  which  had  closed. 
The  other  principal  orators  were  Hon.  William  W.  Camp- 
bell, of  Cherry  Valley,  and  President  Francis  Wayland, 
of  Brown  University,  a  former  pu[)il  of  Dr.  Nott.     The 


58 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


proceedings  u[)()U  holli  tlit.'se  anniversary  occasions  were 
preserved  in  the  form  of  printed  memorial  pamphlets. 

Before  this  time,  however,  tlie  president  had  l)egnn  to 
feel  the  infirmities  of  advancing  years,  and  in  1852  Dr. 
Laurens  P.  llickok  was  elected  vice-i)resi(lent.  Uiton  him 
gi'adually  devolved  the  cares  of  administration,  although 
the  presidency  was  not  actually  conferred  upon  him  until 
the  death  of  Dr.  Nott,  in  18GG. 

The  prosperity  of  the  college  continued  undiminished 
until  the  Civil  War  burst  like  a  storm-cloud  over  the 
country.  The  classes  of  1860  and  1861  were  among  the 
largest  in  the  history  of  the  college.  Through  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century  the  South  had  sent  more  students 
to  Union  College  than  to  any  other,  and  the  class  rolls 
of  those  years  show  representatives  from  nearly  everj" 


i;i:v.  ciiAiM.ics  Ai<.i:--Tr<  AiKt.\.  n.  i>.,  i,i,.  i>. 


Southern  State.      Bnt  as  tlie  controversy  over  the  (jues- 
tion  of  slavery  became  more  bitter,  the  South  gradually 


HISTOIIY    OF    THE   COLLEGE. 


59 


withdrew  its  young  xmm  from  Northern  institutions,  and 
when  tlie  first  sliell  i)roke  over  Sumter  tlie  hist  ])and  of 
Southern  students  tlien  rcmainini;'  in  Tiiion  left  to  join 


REV.    ELIPIIALET  NOTT  POTTER,  I).  U.,  LL.  U 


the  ranks  of  the  Confederacy.  Nor  was  this  the  only 
cause  of  depletion.  Scores  of  Northern  students  forsook 
their  books  to  take  up  the  musket.  The  college  campus 
became  a  drill-ground.  The  brilliant  young  professor  of 
modern  languages,  Professor  Elias  Peissner,  recruited  a 
company  on  College  Hill  and  led  them  in  person  to  the 
front,  himself  falling  on  the  bloody  field  of  Chancellors- 
ville,  with  a  colonel's  stars  on  his  shoulders.  Over  three 
hundred  Union  men  became  Union  soldiers  in  that  great 
struggle  for  the  vindication  of  the  National  honor. 

The  war  was  the  beginning  of  a  period  of  depression 
which  lasted  for  many  years.  Dr.  Nott  died  in  1860,  at 
the  ripe  age  of  ninety-three  years,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Dr.  Hickok.     The  latter  resigned  in  18G8,  and  was  sue- 


60 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


cecded  by  Rov.  Dr.  Cliai-los  A.  Aikoii,  of  l^riiicftoii,  who 
served  for  only  two  years.  After  a  ]>ri('f  iiitcrregnuiii, 
Rev.  Dr.  Kliplialet  Nott  Potter,  a  son  of  Bishop  Aloiizo 
Potter  and  a  grandson  of  President  Nott,  was  elected  to 
the  presidency.  Under  his  administration  new  endow- 
ments were  received,  new  buildings  erected,  and  the  num- 
ber of  students  increased.  Misunderstandings,  however, 
arose  Ix'twt^en  the  ])i-esident  and  the  faculty  and  trustees, 
and  he  retired  in  1884  to  accept  the  presidency  of  Hobart 
College.  On  his  retirement,  Hon.  Judson  S.  Landon 
became  president  ad  iifferin/  until  the  election,  in  May, 
1888,  of  Harrison  E.  Webster,  LL.  D. 


II  \i;i;i^(  IN   I,,   w  i,ii>i  i.i;,  LL.  D. 


Pi'esident  Webster  served  the  college  till  January,  1804, 
when,  by  reason  of  ill  health,  he  presented  his  resignation. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE. 


61 


which  was  accepted  with  many  expressions  of  regret  and 
of  appreciation  for  his  vahiable  services  to  liis  alma  mater. 


REV.  ANDREW  V.  V.   RAYMOND,   D.  I).,  LL.  D. 


Early  in  1894  the  trustees  elected  as  the  successor  of 
President  Webster  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew  V.  V.  Raymond,  a 
graduate  of  the  Class  of  1875,  and  at  that  time  pastor  of 


62  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  Fourth  l^'esljyteriaii  Church  of  ^Uhaiiy.  There  are 
many  who  link  this  coincidence  with  the  youth,  the  en- 
thusiasm, the  oratorical  aljility,  and  the  remarkal^le  per- 
sonal influenco  of  Dr.  Raymond,  and  draw  a  })arallel  be- 
tween Pi-csident  Nott  and  Pi'esidcnt  Raymond.  Not  since 
the  war  lias  ilie  old  college  experienced  such  a  period  of 
pi-osperity  and  of  hopeful  enthusiasm  as  since  the.  inau- 
guration of  President  Raymond,  which  occurred  in  June, 
1894.  The  classes  have  doubled  in  numbers,  the  teaching 
force  largely  increased,  new  endowments  have  been  se- 
cured, and  the  standard  of  scholarship  constantly  elevated. 
New  interest  and  enthusiasm  have  l)een  inspired  among 
the  alumni,  and  complete  harmony  exists  in  the  college 
councils. 

Educational  Influence  and  Progress. 

There  is  perhaps  no  place  more  fitting  than  this  for  a 
brief  mention  of  the  services  of  the  instructors  who  have 
made  Union  famous,  and  of  her  influence  in  the  develop- 
ment of  higher  education  in  America.  It  is  true  that 
during  the  administration  of  Dr.  Nott  he  alone  shaped  the 
policy  of  the  college,  originated  plans  for  its  government, 
suggested  and  carried  into  effect  changes  when  needed, 
and  controlled  its  affairs  as  absolutely  as  any  monarch 
who  ever  ruled  an  empire.  Yet  his  rule  was  gentle,  if 
autocratic.  The  utmost  harmony  prevailed  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  faculty,  and  the  mention  of  their  names  is 
sufficient  to  account  for  the  value  and  popularity  of  the 
Union  College  course  during  his  long  administration. 
At  the  head  of  the  Greek  department  Union  has  had 
such  instructors  as  Andrew  Yates,  Henrv  Davis,  Robert 
Proudfit,  Taylei"  Lewis,  and  Henry AVhitehorne.  In  Latin, 
Thomas  C.  Reed,  John  Newman,  Benjamin  Stanton,  and 
Robert  Lowell.  In  ^lathematies,  John  Taylor,  Benjamin 
Allen,  Francis  AVayland,  Isaac  AV^.  Jackson,  and  Isaiah  B. 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   COLLEGE. 


63 


Price.  In  Chemistry,  Joel  B.  Nott,  Charles  A.  Joy,  Ben- 
jamiu  F,  Josliii,  Charles  F.  Chandler,  and  Maurice  Per- 
kins.    In  Natural  Philosophy,  Thomas  Macauley,  Alonzo 


PROF.   TAYLER   LEWIS,   D.  D.,   LL.  V. 


Potter,  and  John  Foster.  In  French  and  German,  Pierre 
Reynaud,  Louis  Tellkampf,  Pierre  A.  Proal,  Elias  Peiss- 
ner,  William  Wells,  and  Wendell  Lamoroux.  In  Natural 
History,  Jonathan  Pearson  and  Harrison  E.  Webster.  In 
Rhetoric,  Logic,  and  Belles-Lettres,  Thomas  C.  Brown  well, 
Alonzo  Potter,  Laurens  P.  Hickok,  Nathaniel  G.  Clarke, 
Ransom  B.  Welsh,  and  George  Alexander.  In  Oriental 
Literature,  John  Austin  Yates  and  Tayler  Lewis.  In  Civil 
Engineering,  Frederick  R.  Hassler,  William  M.  Gillespie, 
Cady  Staley,  and  Winfield  S.  Chaplin. 

Union  College  was  the  first  to  break  away  from  the 
strict  and  beaten  classical  course,  and  to  place  scientific 
instruction  on  .a  plane  of  equal  dignity.  At  Union  also 
originated  the  so-called  optional  system,  which  it  has 
always  exercised  to  a  limited  degree,  but  never  to  the 


64 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


extent  of  license  wliich  it  afterward  attaincil  in  other  col- 
leges. As  far  back  as  1797,  we  have  seen,  in  the  report 
of  the  Regents  quoted  in  the  foregoing  pages,  the  germ 
of  this  now  popular  systcnn.  "  A  provision  is  also  made 
for  substituting  the  knowledge  of  the  French  language 
histead  of  the  Greek,  in  certain  cases,  if  the  funds  should 
hereafter  admit  of  instituting  a  French  professorship." 
This  professorshi}),  with  a  single  excei>tion,  the  first  in 
the  United  States,  was  established  in  1806. 

The  essential  features  of  the  scientific  course,  as  origi- 
nated by  Dr.  Nott,  and  so  ably  advocated  by  President 
Wayland  and  others  of  his  ])U])ils,  was  the  substitution  of 
the  modern  languages  and  an  increased  amount  of  mathe- 
matical and  i)h3'sical  science,  in  place  of  the  Greek  and 


HMH 

p 

^H 

\    \ 

rv  ■  ^^ 

^m 

t 

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jHSHI^^P 

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IKOF.    ISAAC    \V.  .JACKSON. 


Latin  languages.  It  also  permitted,  within  certain  well- 
defined  limits,  the  election  of  certain  studies  by  the  stu- 
dents. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  65 

The  first  course  of  civil  engineeriiii;-  in  any  American 
college  was  established  at  Union  in  1845,  by  Pi-ofessor 
William  IM,  (fillcspic,  and  lias  evei-  since  Ixhmi  successfnlly 
continued.  WJiile  the  college  still  maintains  the  classical 
course  in  all  its  thoi'oughness,  the  scientific  instruction 
has  recently  been  still  further  developed  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  courses  in  sanitary  and  electrical  engineering. 
The  departments  of  English  and  of  modern  languages 
have  also  been  greatly  strengthened,  and  the  course  of 
instruction  at  Union  to-day  com])arcs  favorably  with  that 
of  the  best  New  England  and  New  York  colleges. 

Union  has  been  called  the  mother  of  secret  societies. 
Instead  of  antagonizing  and  repressing  the  fraternities, 
the  authorities  of  Union  have  ever  encouraged  and  fos- 
tered them.  The  three  oldest  college  fraternities  in  the 
United  States,  except  the  venerable  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  which 
had  then  already  ceased  to  be  a  secret  society,  were  or- 
ganized at  Union  in  1825  and  1827.  These  were  Kappa 
Alpha,  Sigma  Phi,  and  Delta  Phi.  Later  on,  in  1832  and 
1847,  Psi  Upsilon,  Chi  Psi,  and  Theta  Delta  Chi  established 
their  first  chapters  at  Union.  The  authorities  have  al- 
ways maintained  that,  properly  conducted,  the  fraternities 
were  of  actual  benefit  rather  than  a  hindrance  to  college 
discipline.  The  fraternities  now  flourishing  are,  in  the 
order  of  their  establishment.  Kappa  Alpha,  Sigma  Phi, 
Delta  Phi,  Psi  Upsilon,  Delta  Upsilon,  Alpha  Delta  Phi, 
Beta  Theta  Pi,  Phi  Delta  Theta,  and  Chi  Psi,  reestablished 
in  1892.  The  Union  Chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  estab- 
lished in  1817,  is  the  Alpha,  or  parent,  cliaj)ter  for  the 
State  of  New  York.  Another  honorary  fraternity,  Sigma 
Xi,  has  recently  been  established,  to  which  only  the 
honor  men  of  the  scientific  and  engineering  courses  are 
eligible,  Phi  Beta  Kappa  being  confined  to  the  classical 
students. 

Two  literary  societies,  the  Philomathean  and  the  Adel- 
phic,  each  nearly  a  century  old,  divide  the  allegiance  of 
5 


66  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  stiKk'iit.s.  Each  liiis  a  line  hull  uucl  wcU-stjlected  lil»ru- 
ries  of  from  three  thousand  to  five  thousand  volumes. 

One  of  tlie  earliest  of  all  college  publications  was  the 
"Floriad,"  publislied  by  the  litei'ary  societies  of  Union  in 
1809.  A  few  nnnibers  of  tliis  paper  are  in  the  Boston  City 
Lil)i-ary.  The  vai'ious  student  publications  which  have 
followed  it,  and  survived  for  a  longer  oi*  shorter  ])eriod, 
were  the  "Students'  Album"  (1827),  "The  Parthenon" 
and  "Academicians'  Magazine"  (1832),  "The  Union  Col- 
lege Magazine  "  (18(){)-1875),  "  The  Unionian  "  (18G2),  "The 
Spectator"  (1873),  and  the  "  Concordiensis"  (1877).  The 
last  mentioned  is  now  the  principal  college  publication, 
and  has  recently  been  made  a  bi-monthly.  "  The  Grarnet," 
so  named  from  the  college  color,  is  an  annual  illustrated 
publication,  conducted  by  the  secret  societies.  The  "  Par- 
thenon" has  been  recently  revived  in  magazine  form. 

The  songs  of  Union  form  a  handsome  volume,  "Car- 
mina  Concordia,"  first  collected  by  Truman  Weed,  of  the 
Class  of  '75,  a  new  edition  of  which,  embodying  the  recent 
songs,  has  just  been  issued  by  two  members  of  the  Class 
of  1896.  John  Howard  Payne  was  one  of  Union's  ear- 
liest song-writers,  and  gifted  writers  have  from  year  to 
year  added  to  the  collection.  A  few  of  these  songs  are 
perennial  in  their  fragrance,  and  are  always  sung  on 
festive  occasions.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  "  Song 
to  Old  Union,"  composed  by  Fitzhugh  Ludlow,  of  the 
Class  of  1856.  It  is  always  sung  on  commencement 
day,  at  the  close  of  the  graduating  exercises.  The  hearty 
good-will  and  feeling  with  which  returning  sons  join  in 
the  grand  chorus : 

Then  here  's  to  thee,  the  brave  and  free, 

Old  Union  smiling  o'er  ns. 
And  for  many  a  day,  as  thy  walls  grow  gray. 

May  they  ring  with  thy  ehildren's  chorns, 

show  that  the  gifted  poet  did  not  attune  his  lyre  in  vain. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  67 

The  government  of  Union  College  has  always  been  pa- 
ternal, but  characterized  by  the  greatest  freedom  consis- 
tent with  good  results.  The  ponderous  code  of  rules  and 
restrictions  of  the  old  days  has  long  since  gone  out  of 
print,  and  the  only  rule  now  promulgated  at  Union  Col- 
lege is,  in  the  language  of  ex-President  Webster,  that 
"  Every  student  should  do  his  work  and  conduct  himself 
like  a  gentleman."  On  these  two  hang  all  the  law  and 
the  prophets. 

Of  the  nine  presidents  of  Union,  four.  Presidents  Hickok, 
Potter,  Webster,  and  Raymond,  have  been  graduates  of 
Union.  Presidents  Maxcy  and  Nott  bore  the  diplomas  of 
Brown  University,  Presidents  Smith  and  Edwards  were 
Princeton  men,  and  President  Aiken  was  a  graduate  of 
Dartmouth.  The  strict  adherence  of  the  college  to  the 
principle  of  Christian  union  which  shaped  the  plans  of 
its  founders  is  apparent  in  the  varying  religious  tenets  of 
its  several  presidents.  Presidents  Smith,  Edwards,  Nott, 
Webster,  and  Raymond  were  Presbyterians;  Dr.  Maxcy 
a  Baptist ;  Dr.  Hickok  a  Congregationalist ;  and  Dr.  Potter 
an  Episcopalian. 

Buildings  and  Gtrounds. 

The  oldest  buildings  on  the  college  grounds  are  the 
North  and  South  College  buildings,  uniform  in  construc- 
tion, and  800  feet  apart.  The  ends  of  each  building  con- 
tain residences  for  professors,  and  the  central  part,  having 
three  distinct  entrances  and  sections,  provides  48  rooms 
in  each  college.  Backward  from  each  of  these  buildings 
run  the  two  "  colonnades,"  each  250  feet  long.  These  con- 
tain recitation  rooms,  lecture  rooms,  and  apparatus.  The 
colonnades  terminate  each  in  a  larger,  square  building,  the 
North  building  being  devoted  to  the  chemical  and  philo- 
sophical laboratories  and  lecture  rooms,  and  the  South  to 
chapel,  Registrar's  office,  and  natural  history  museum. 


68 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


Tliu  miiseiiiii  of  uatunil  liisloi-y  is  oiio  of  the  finest  in  this 
country,  being  exceeded,  in  the  nunilici-  and  \aiiety  of  its 
specimens,  only  by  that  of  Harvard  Tnivcrsity  and  tlie 
Smithsonian  Institntion  at  WashinjAton.  It  comprises  (1) 
the  extensive  collections,  chiefly  of  marine  animals,  made 
by  President  Webster  during  his  occupancy  of  the  chair 
of  natui-al  history,  (2)  the  celeljrated  Wlieatley  collection 
of  shells  and  minerals,  donated  by  E.  C.  Dclavan,  (o)  spcci- 


^CVoi.:^--^ 


ENTRANCE  TO  COLI.E(;E  (iROUNDS. 


mens  received  fi-om  the  National  and  State  governments, 
and  (4)  coutributions  from  friends  and  }>atrons  of  the 
college. 

The  philosophical  museum  is  also  rich  in  apparatus, 
especially  in  iusti'uments  illustrating  electricity,  magnet- 
ism, light,  heat,  acoustics,  pneumatics,  statics  and  dyna- 
mics, hydrostatics  and  hydraulics,  and  measurements. 

The  engineering  department  possesses  the  celebrated 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   COLLEGE. 


69 


Olivier  collection  of  models,  consisting  of  about  fifty 
models,  representing  the  most  important  and  compli- 
eat«'d  ruled  surfaces  of  descriptive  geometi'y,  i>articularly 
wai'ped  or  twisted  surfaces.  Their  directrices  are  rep- 
resented by  brass  bars,  straight  or  curved,  to  which 
are  attached  silk  threads  representing  the  elements  or 
successive  positions  of  the  generatrices  of  the  surfaces. 


THE   TERKACE. 


Each  of  these  threads  has  a  weight  suspended  by  it  so  as 
always  to  make  it  a  straight  line.  These  weights  are 
contained  in  boxes  sustaining  the  directrices  and  their 
standards.  The  bars  are  movable  in  various  directions, 
carrying  with  them  the  threads  still  stretched  straight 
by  the  weights  in  every  position  they  may  take ;  so  that 
the  forms  and  natures  of  the  surfaces  which  they  consti- 
tute are  continually  changing,  while  they  always  remain 


70  UNION    COLLEGE. 

"  ruled  surfaces."  In  this  way  a  plaue  is  transformed 
into  a  paraboloid,  a  cylinder  into  a  hyperboloid,  etc. 
These  models  were  invented  by  the  lamented  Theodore 
Olivier,  while  professor  of  descriptiv^e  geometry  at  tlie 
Conservatoire  des  Arts  et  Metiers,  in  Paris.  One  set  of 
them  is  now  deposited  there  and  a  second  is  in  the  con- 
serv^atory  at  Madrid.  Coj^ies  of  some  of  them  are  to  be 
found  in  most  of  the  iiolytechnic  schools  of  Germany. 
The  Union  College  set  is  the  original  collection  of  the  in- 
ventor, having  been  made  in  part  by  his  own  hands,  and 
after  his  death,  in  1853,  retained  by  the  widow  till  bought 
from  her  by  Professor  Gillespie,  in  1855.  It  is  more  com- 
plete than  that  in  the  Paris  Conservatoire.  It  may  be 
worth  noticing  that  the  silvered  plates  on  the  boxes, 
reading  "  Tnvente  par  Theodore  Olivler,^^  etc.,  were  added 
by  Madame  Olivier  after  the  purchase,  at  her  own  ex- 
pense, as  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  her  husband ;  her 
own  words  being,  ^^  Je  teuais  a  ce,  que  cliaque  hi.strument 
portdt  le  noni  tin  savant  dont  la  reputation  passera  a  la 
posterite.^ 

Memorial  Hall,  long  a  familiar  object  in  the  pictures, 
and  originally  designed  for  a  chapel,  was  delayed  for  var- 
ious causes,  so  that  the  foundation  was  not  laid  till  1858. 
The  war  and  its  attendant  depression  interrupted  the 
work,  which  was  not  resumed  till  1874,  and  the  present 
domed  structure  was  evolved  in  1876.  This  building, 
situated  midway  between  and  in  the  rear  of  the  two  main 
buildings,  is  nearly  circular,  84  feet  in  diameter,  the  dome 
rising  120  feet  from  the  floor.  It  has  never  been  of  any 
particular  use  to  the  college,  but  is  employed  for  the 
banquet  hall  at  commencement  time,  and  is  adorned  by 
paintings,  statues,  and  works  of  art. 

A  president's  house  was  built  in  1873,  and  in  1874  a 
gymnasium,  which,  when  finished,  was  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  equipped  in  the  country.  All  these  buildings, 
except  Memoi-ial  Hall,  are  of  brick,  rough  cast  with  stucco 


72  UNION    COLLEGE. 

or  cement,  producing  tlio  "gi'uy  old  walls"  celebrated  in 
college  song. 

Some  distance  behind  the  circular  })uilding  has  recently 
been  erected  a  handsome  structure  known  as  the  Powers 
Memorial  Building,  finished  in  1885.  This  consists  of  a 
chapel-like  central  building,  with  wings  extending  from 
it  on  either  side  in  the  form  of  a  half-circle.  The  central 
building  forms  a  splendid  I'eceptacle  for  the  4:(),()0()  vol- 
umes which  constitute  the  college  library,  and  the  wings 
contain  the  president's  office  and  eight  spacious  and  well- 
equipped  recitation  rooms. 

The  development  of  fraternity  life  is  gi-adually  intro- 
ducing a  more  modern  architecture  on  the  college  grounds. 
The  Psi  Upsilon  fraternity  recently  secured  the  grant  of 
a  lot  on  the  college  grounds,  to  the  rear  of  South  College, 
and  has  erected  on  it  a  fine  chapter-house  costing  $30,- 
000.  The  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Society  has  erected  a  hand- 
some and  commodious  chapter  home,  now  approaching 
completion,  near  the  Psi  Upsilon  chapter  house,  on  a  path 
which  is  known  as  the  "Grecian  Bend."  The  Sigma  Phi 
Chapter  has  recently  been  enriched  by  a  bequest  of 
$40,000,  and  a  building  for  this  venerable  fraternity  is 
probable  in  the  near  future.  Similar  plans  are  contem- 
plated by  Delta  Upsilon,  Chi  Psi,  Beta  Theta  Pi,  and 
other  of  the  Greek-letter  societies. 

The  original  grounds  acquired  for  college  uses  in  Sche- 
nectady have  been  somewhat  reduced  by  street  improve- 
ments and  the  sale  of  lots,  but  are  still  amply  sufficient, 
embracing  about  125  acres,  including  the  campus,  gardens, 
and  grounds  properly  belonging  to  the  college  and  essen- 
tial for  its  use,  besides  some  one  hundred  acres  of  wood- 
lands and  fields  adjoining. 

During  the  residence  of  Professor  Thomas  Macauley, 
more  than  fifty  years  ago,  a  beginning  was  made  in  the 
improveinent  of  a  garden  north  of  Xorth  College.  The 
work  was,  howevei',  scai'cely  more  than  a  beginning  until 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  73 

Professor  Isaac  W.  Jackson  became  a  resident  of  the  ad- 
joining dwelling  in  1831,  when  a  series  of  improvements 
were  begun,  which,  aided  by  a  small  annual  gi-ant  from 
the  trustees,  have  gradually  transformed  a  wild  ravine 
and  tangled  woodland  into  a  charming  ramble  and  pleas- 
ant retreat.  The  grounds  end)race  some  twelve  acres,  and 
combine  many  attractions  of  sylvan  solitude  and  floral 
beauty,  "  Captain  Jack,"  as  the  pi'ofessor  was  affection- 
ately styled  by  his  pupils,  devoted  the  last  years  of  his 
life  almost  entirely  to  the  beautifying  of  this  garden,  and 
here,  under  the  spreading  elm  which  was  his  favorite 
resort,  were  held  his  funeral  ceremonies  in  1877. 

Besides  the  real  estate  in  Schenectady,  the  college  owns 
a  few  lots  in  the  City  of  New  York  and  a  large  tract 
comprising  over  1100  city  lots  in  Long  Island  City.  This 
tract  was  received  under  the  deed  of  Dr.  Nott,  and  is  of 
great  value,  already  yielding  the  college  a  considerable 
annual  income.  The  constant  growth  of  Long  Island 
City,  its  probable  connection  with  New  York  City  in  the 
near  future  by  tunnel  or  bridges,  and  its  inevitable  con- 
solidation with  the  metropolis,  unite  to  make  the  college 
real  estate  of  immense  prospective  value. 

The  trustees  of  the  college  are,  by  its  charter  as 
amended,  the  Grovernor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  Secretary 
of  State,  Com^Dtroller,  Treasurer,  and  Attorney-Greneral 
of  the  State,  ex  officio;  fifteen  chosen  for  life  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  four  elected,  one  each  year  for  a 
term  of  four  years  by  the  alumni.  The  present  trustees, 
exclusive  of  the  ex-officio  members,  are  Silas  B.  Brownell, 
Rev.  Dr.  William  Irvin,  Hon.  Judson  S.  Landon,  Hon. 
Edward  W.  Paige,  William  H.  H.  Moore,  Rev.  Dr.  Denis 
Wortman,  Hon.  John  H.  Starin,  Clark  Brooks,  John  A. 
De  Remer,  Rev.  Dr.  George  Alexander,  Robert  C.  Alex- 
ander, Hon.  Warner  Miller,  N.  V.  V.  Franchot,  Col.  Charles 
E.  Sprague,  Howard  Thornton,  Hon.  Wallace  T.  Foote, 
and  Rev.  David  Sprague. 


74  UNION    COLLEGE. 

The  faculty,  as  now  eoiistituted,  is  made  up  as  follows : 
A.  V.  V.  Raymond,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President ;  John  Foster, 
LL.  D.,  Nott  Professor  (Emeritus)  of  Natural  History ; 
Henry  Whitehorne,  LL.  D.,  Nott  Professoi*  of  the  Greek 
Language  and  Literature ;  William  Wells,  LL.  D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Modern  Languages  and  Literature  and  Lecturer 
on  Current  History ;  Maurice  Perkins,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Analytical  Chemistry;  Sidney  G.  Ashmore,  A.  M., 
L.  H.  D.,  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature ; 
James  R.  Truax,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of  the  English 
Language  and  Literature;  Thomas  W.  Wright,  A.  M., 
Ph.  D,,  Professor  of  Applied  Mathematics  and  Physics; 
Frank  S.  Hoffman,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral 
Philosophy;  Benjamin  H.  Rii)ton,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  Professor 
of  History  and  Sociology,  and  Dean  of  the  Faculty ;  Olin 
H.  Landreth,  A.  M.,  C.  E.,  Professor  of  Civil  Engineer- 
ing; James  L.  Patterson,  So.  D.,  Professor  of  ^Nlathemat- 
ics;  Samuel  B.  Howe,  Ph.  D.,  Adjunct  Nott  Professor, 
Princii)al  of  Union  School ;  Albert  H.  Pepper,  A.  M., 
Assistant  Professor  of  Modern  Languages ;  James  H. 
Stoller,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Biology;  Edward  Everett  Hale, 
Jr.,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Logic ;  Edwin  H. 
Winans,  A.  M.,  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics; 
Homer  P.  Cummings,  Instructor  in  Surveying ;  Wendell 
Lamoroux,  A.  M.,  Librarian  and  Lecturer ;  C.  P.  Linhai-t, 
M.  D.,  Instructor  in  Physiologj^  and  I*hysical  Education ; 
George  Y.  Edwards,  A.  M.,  Instructor  in  Latin  and  San- 
skrit ;  Howard  Opdyke,  A.  B.,  Instructor  in  Mathematics 
and  Physics;  Elton  D.Walker,  B.  S.,  Instructor  in  Engi- 
neering; John  I.  Bennett,  A.  M.,  Instructor  in  Greek; 
besides  a  corps  of  thirty-six  lecturers. 

The  general  catalogues  of  Union  College  contain  a  list 
of  names  of  which  both  the  college  and  the  country  may 
well  be  proud.  In  the  total  number  of  its  graduates  it 
stands  at  least  fourth,  and  perhaps  third,  among  American 
colleges.     The  number  of  its  alumni  is  nearly  double  that 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COLLEGE.  lo 

of  any  other  college  in  New  York  State.  Its  graduates 
have  become  prominent  in  every  profession  and  walk  in 
life.  Among  the  number  have  been  a  President  of  the 
United  States,  two  Secretaries  of  State,  two  Justices  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  ten  Senators,  two 
Speakers,  and  130  members  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. Thirty-six  college  presidents  have  had  their  edu- 
cational ideas  molded  at  Union  and  have  transplanted 
them  to  other  institutions.  One-fifth  of  the  whole  number 
of  judges  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Court  of  Appeals 
and  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  New  York  State  have  been 
Union  College  graduates. 

The  general  alumni  association  was  organized  and  in- 
corporated in  1857,  and  local  associations  have  been  formed 
in  New  York  City,  Albany,  Chicago,  Rochester,  St.  Paul, 
Boston,  San  Francisco,  and  Washington.  The  New  York 
association  has  over  500  members. 

Union  Univeksity. 

Union  University  embraces  the  following  institutions : 

Union  College, 
Albany  Medical  College, 
Albany  Law  School, 
Dudley  Observatory, 
Albany  College  of  Pharmacy. 

Union  College  acquired  by  its  original  charter  full  Uni- 
versity powers,  but  the  creation  of  graduate  institutions 
at  Schenectady  was  not  found  practicable.  Schools  of  Law 
and  Medicine,  and  also  an  Astronomical  Observatory,  had 
existed  at  Albany,  only  a  few  miles  distant,  for  many 
years  previous  to  1873.  The  arrangement  naturally  sug- 
gested by  these  circumstances  was,  that  the  professional 
schools  and  the  observatory  at  Albany  should  be  united 
with  Union  College  under  the  charter  and  Board  of  Trus- 


76  UNION    COLLEGE. 

toes  of  tlic  latter.  Tliis  was  aocordiiifcly  effectod  ])y  tlie 
incorporation  of  Union  University  in  ISTii.  The  An>any 
College  of  Pharmacy  was  created  by  the  Board  of  Regents 
June  21,  1881,  and  incorporated  as  a  department  of  the 
University  August  21,  of  the  same  year. 

The  President  of  Union  College  and  permanent  Chan- 
cellor of  Union  University  has  the  oversight  of  the  Uni- 
versity, each  of  the  institutions  having  its  resident  Dean. 
The  University  Board  of  Governors  is  composed  of  certain 
of  the  permanent  trustees  of  Union  College,  and  of  repre- 
sentatives of  each  of  the  other  institutions  embraced  in 
Union  University. 


BACCALAUREATE  DAY. 


The  Services  of  this  day  included  a  Discourse  upon  an  assigned  topic  in 
the  morning,  a  Cojiference  on  Religion  and  Education  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  Baccalaureate  Sermon  in  the  evening. 


DISCOURSE 

BY  REV.   GEORGE  ALEXANDER,   D.  D. 

Class  of  1866. 

Z\^t  ndigtouisf  ^diffucncc  of  Clnion  CoUcgc. 

ONE  hundred  years  ago  Europe  was  still  rocking  with 
the  throes  of  the  French  Revolution.  America  had 
just  entered  upon  the  hazardous  experiment  of  popular 
government.  The  administration  of  Washington  was 
drawing  to  a  close  amid  scenes  of  turbulence  that  boded 
ill  for  the  Republic.  The  State  of  New  York  was  for  the 
most  part  a  wilderness.  For  nearly  a  century  and  a  half 
the  Dutch  colonists  and  their  descendants  had  held  this 
smiling  valley,  but  so  narrow  was'  their  domain  that  the 
ax  of  the  hardy  pioneer  was  ringing  not  twenty  miles 
away. 

But  a  new  spirit  was  abroad  in  the  land.  Men  were 
rejoicing  in  the  sense  of  emancipation,  and  beginning  to 
feel  the  years  before  them.  In  the  natural  gateway  be- 
tween the  Catskills  and  the  Adirondacks  fresh  streams 
of  migration  were  meeting  and  mingling.  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish,  obeying  the  instinct  of  their  race,  were 
pushing  back  among  the  hills  which  the  Netherlanders 
had  not  cared  to  explore.  Men  of  New  England,  who 
had  developed  muscle  and  grit  in  wringing  a  livelihood 
from  their  sterile  hills,  had  started  on  that  tremendous 
march  which  in  a  century  has  reduced  a  continent  from 


80  UNION    COLLEGE. 

sava,2:ory  to  civilization.  The  modern  era  of  ent('r])rise 
and  progress  and  vast  material  development  had  just 
begun. 

If  we  could  reproduce  the  moral  and  religious  atmo- 
sphere of  that  period  we  should  find  a  contrast  not  less 
vivid  between  the  last  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century 
and  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth.  The  War  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  the  political  ferment  that  followed  it,  hod 
l)t>en  anything  but  fav(n'able  to  those  faculties  of  the  soul 
wliicli  look  Godward.  The  Puritan  revival  had  s]t('iit 
its  energy,  and  the  undis{;i[»lined  spirit  of  libei'ty  was 
in  active  hostility  to  the  stern  and  somber  theology  of 
New  England.  The  democracy  of  America  had  been 
brought  into  close  and  vital  relation  with  that  continental 
democra<'y  whose  ultimate  object  of  assault  was  the 
('liristian  faith.  Ske[)ticism  had  loosened  the  bonds  of 
moral  obligation.  The  Churches  were  enfeebled  and  in 
many  cases  disorganized.  The  Christianity  of  America 
was  on  the  defensive,  and  had  little  energy  for  conquest. 
American  institutions  were  about  to  be  subjected  to  a 
new  and  searching  test.  Could  the  tide  of  migration  and 
immigration  be  folloW(^d  and  dominated  l)y  the  wholesome 
and  disciplinary  influences  of  leai'uing  and  religion  ! 

Such  were  the  conditions  under  which  Union  College 
had  its  birth.  It  sprang  from  the  soil ;  it  was  not  the 
product  of  individual  beneficence  or  ecclesiastical  zeal  or 
legislative  initiative,  but  of  popular  demand.  No  other 
American  college  has  been  created  in  response  to  a  peti- 
tion signed  by  a  thousand  men  of  the  viciiuige.  It  is  one 
of  the  factors  which  has  shaped  the  history  of  a  century 
unparalleled  for  the  brilliancy  and  beneficence  of  its 
achievements. 

The  impulse  to  whicii  our  college  owes  its  origin  was 
national  and  secular  rather  than  religious,  but  religious 
men  are  coming  to  recognize  the  fact  that  nothing  is 
more  sacred  than  those  seculai-  movements  which  bear 


DISCOURSE.  81 

witness  to  the  reality  of  a  Divine  Spirit  which  is  like 
the  wind  that  bloweth  where  it  listeth  —  to  the  power 
and  ceaseless  activity  of  a  God  immanent  in  His  nniverse. 

Tlie  task  assigned  me  is  to  trace  in  rude  outline  the 
contribution^  of  Union  College  to  the  forces  which  make 
for  righteousness  and  the  ui^building  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Let  us  seek  those  contributions  in  the  reahu  of 
Christian  thought  and  education,  in  the  field  of  church 
organization  and  leadership,  in  the  annals  of  world-wide 
evangelism,  and  among  the  forces  that  tend  toward  the 
reunion  of  Christendom. 

I.  The  philosophy  of  the  eighteenth  century  had  much 
to  do  with  its  spiritual  decadence.  Hobbes  and  Hume, 
Rousseau  and  Voltaire,  had  formulated  the  ideas  which 
occupied  the  public  mind  to  the  prejudice  of  both  con- 
science and  faith.  Atheism  had  poisoned  the  fountains 
of  learning.  The  educated  mind  of  America  has  never 
been  so  pronouncedly  unchristian  as  it  was  at  the  close 
of  the  last  century.  Among  the  students  of  Yale  College 
there  was  about  this  time  but  a  single  professor  of  re- 
ligion. Similar  conditions  prevailed  at  Williams  and 
Bowdoin. 

If  the  spirit  of  the  nineteenth  century  has  been,  in 
comparison,  reverent  and  belie\dng,  it  is  because  far- 
seeing  and  godly  educators,  among  whom  Dr.  Dwight 
and  Dr.  Xott  stand  preeminent,  bent  their  best  energies 
to  the  task  of  impressing  a  Christian  stamp  upon  our  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning. 

In  the  development  of  the  American  college  as  a  center 
of  Christian  light  and  power  the  sons  of  our  alma  mater 
have  borne  no  inconspicuous  part.  Her  great  thinkers 
and  teachers  have  been  profoundly  religious,  men  of  lofty 
character  and  invincible  faith.  Froin  the  roll  of  those 
who  have  served  on  her  faculty  we  might  call  the  names 
of  Thomas  C.  Brownell,  Francis  Wayland,  Laurens  P. 
Hickok,  each  of  which  stands  for  a  measureless  force  in 
6 


82  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  education  of  tlie  Aiiierictiu  people.  By  tlieir  i)ubliea- 
tioDS,  and  still  more  by  direct  contact  of  mind  with  mind, 
they  disseminated  the  principles  of  a  sound  and  reverent 
philosophy.  Their  teachings  were  saturated  with  those 
ideas  which  lie  at  the  basis  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  im- 
pose upon  the  spirit  of  man  the  most  solemn  obligations 
and  sanctions. 

In  this  sanctuary,  where  he  worshiped,  it  is  especially 
fitting  that  reference  should  be  made  to  the  influence  of 
that  serene  scholar  who  united  the  crystalline  thinking 
of  a  Platonist  with  the  spiritual  intuitions  of  the  Hebrew 
seer.  No  Biblical  scholar  of  his  time  foresaw  more  dis- 
tinctly or  faced  more  fearlessly  the  peril  to  which  the 
progress  of  physical  science  and  scientific  criticism  would 
subject  the  foundations  of  revealed  religion.  We  cannot 
reckon  the  number  of  those  whom  Tayler  Lewis  strength- 
ened to  meet  it.  No  one  who  received  the  impress  of  his 
catholic  and  cosmopolitan  spirit  could  ever  fail  in  rever- 
ence for  the  sacred  oracles  or  share  the  panic  of  timorous 
half-believers  who  would  withhold  the  Scriptures  from 
the  sharpest  scrutiny. 

II.  Union  College  has,  however,  produced  men  of  the 
arena  rather  than  men  of  the  cloister.  Scholars  some- 
times become  conspicuous  by  reason  of  their  aloofness ; 
they  become  influential  by  merging  their  life  in  the 
stream  of  common  humanity  and  giving  it  direction.  To 
shape  institutions  of  religion  and  learning  is  to  live  and 
work  forever. 

The  citizens  of  Albany  and  Tryon  counties  who  peti- 
tioned for  the  founding  of  a  college  in  the  town  of 
Schenectady  to  supply  "  men  of  learning  to  fill  the  sev- 
eral otfices  of  Church  and  State"  l)egan  to  realize  their 
ideal  when  Eliphalet  Nott  was  called  to  the  presidency. 
He  was  a  master  of  assemblies  and  a  mover  of  men.  His 
fame  as  a  pulpit  orator  made  him  })i-esident  of  the  college, 
and  his  fame  as  a  college  administrator  made  him  a  force 


DISCOUESE.  ^  83 

ill  public  affairs  which  we  cannot  now  ostiniato.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  young  men  drawn  from  the  meager  con- 
ditions of  frontier  life  into  contact  with  so  commanding 
a  personality  caught  the  inspiration  of  his  genius.  To 
be  with  liiin  was  an  education  in  the  leadership  of  men. 
Under  his  tuition  those  who  viewed  life  as  a  divine  voca- 
tion became  like  the  men  of  Issachar,  "who  had  under- 
standing of  the  times  to  know  what  Israel  ought  to  do." 
Responding  to  the  needs  of  a  rapidly  expanding  nation, 
they  l)ecame  founders  and  framers  of  beneficent  institu- 
tions. Time  would  fail  us  to  name  the  schools  of  higher 
learning  which  were  founded  or  presided  over  in  their 
earliest  years  by  ministers  of  the  gospel  who  received 
their  training  and  impulse  from  Union  College.  Among 
them  are  Trinity,  the  University  of  New  York,  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  Hanover,  Knox,  Hobart,  Eacine, 
Philadeljihia  Divinit}^  School;  and,  in  another  category, 
Elmira  Female  College,  Rutgers  Female  College,  Vassar, 
and  Smith.  In  shaping  the  most  significant  educational 
movement  of  the  last  half-century,  the  higher  Christian 
education  of  American  womanhood,  it  is  no  exaggeration 
to  say  that  Union  College  men  both  pointed  and  led  the 
way. 

It  may  be  a  more  graphic  presentation  of  the  part  that 
Union  College  has  taken  in  the  statesmanship  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  if  we  make  a  cross-section  of  the  stream 
of  her  alumni  and  note  the  posts  of  influential  service 
which  at  a  single  point  of  time  were  occupied  by  her  men 
of  religion.  Forty  years  ago  to-day  ministers  of  the^ 
gospel  who  were  sons  of  old  Union  presided  over  such 
colleges  as  Bowdoin,  Brown,  Princeton,  University  of 
Michigan,  Western  University,  Racine,  and  Hobart.  A 
Union  graduate  was  president  of  the  House  of  Bishops 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  In  that  body  were 
a  group  of  Union  alumni,  including  Bishop  Brownell,  of 
Connecticut ;    Bishop   Doane,   of  New  Jersey ;    Bishop 


84  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Alonzo  Potter,  of  Pennsylvania;  Bisliop  Horatio  Potter, 
of  New  Yoik,  and  Bishop  Upfold,  of  Indiana,  il  would 
be  difficult  to  select  from  the  entire  roll  of  hei-  cler<;y  five 
men  whose  influence  uj)on  the  fortunes  of  that  historic 
Church  has  been  more  profound  and  permanent. 

At  the  same  date,  Dr.  Ludlow  and  Dr.  Proudfit  were 
in  the  seminary  at  New  Brunswick,  shapiu":  the  theo- 
logical instruction  of  the  Dutch  Keformed  Churcli.  Dr. 
De  Witt  occupied  the  most  conspicuous  pulpit  in  that 
denomination  as  ])astor  of  the  Collegiate  Church  in  New 
York  City.  Dr.  Wisner,  also  a  graduate  of  Union,  was 
Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly.  Half 
of  the  theological  chairs  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  were 
occupied  by  Union  graduates.  Dr.  McMasters,  the 
founder  of  Hanover,  and  subsequently  the  president  of 
Miami  University,  was  professor  of  theology  in  New  Al- 
bany, now  McCormick,  Seminary,  Dr.  Robert  C.  Breck- 
enridge  was  dominating  the  thought  of  the  Presbyterians 
of  the  South  as  professor  of  theology  in  the  seminary  at 
Danville.  Dr.  Huntington  was  occujiying  the  same  chair 
in  Auburn  Seminary,  as  successor  to  Dr.  Hickok.  Dr. 
Phillips,  Dr.  Wadsworth,  and  Dr.  Grurley  were  filling  the 
most  conspicuous  Presbyterian  pulpits  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  Washington,  respectively. 

Such  selections  from  a  list  which  might  be  greatly  ex- 
tended will  afford  some  conception  of  the  influence  which 
this  venerable  institution  was  exercising  upon  the  re- 
ligious thought  and  life  of  our  country  in  the  five  preg- 
nant years  which  immediately  pi-eceded  the  nation's 
baptism  of  blood.  It  is  not  without  significance  that  in 
the  darkest  hours  of  that  tremendous  struggle,  when  the 
mind  and  the  heart  of  her  great  President  wei'e  bowed 
with  the  weight  of  his  responsibility,  while  a  Union 
gi-aduate  was  the  leader  of  his  Cabinet  and  a  Union  grad- 
uate the  commander-in-chief  of  his  armies,  a  Union 
graduate  was  also  his  sjtiritual  counselor,  and  knelt  with 


DISCOUESE.  85 

him  when  his  burdened  sonl  cried  out  for  Clod,  for  the 
Hving  God. 

III.  But  we  turn  to  another  fiehl  of  inquiry.  The  char- 
acteristic note  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  evangelism. 
The  Church  has  recovered  the  spirit  of  conquest  which 
glorified  the  Pentecostal  era.  Wide  areas  have  been  added 
to  the  domain  of  Christendom  and  ancient  strongholds 
of  paganism  have  been  invaded.  In  this  sublime  warfare 
our  college  has  furnished  her  full  quota  of  heroes  and 
martyrs.  Her  president  for  more  than  sixty  years  began 
his  ministry  as  a  missionary.  Cherry  Valley  was  a  rude 
frontier  settlement  when,  as  teacher  and  schoolmaster, 
he  kindled  there  the  lam^)  of  religion  and  learning.  Men 
of  God  who  lit  their  torches  at  his  flame  could  not  ignore 
the  Macedonian  cry  from  the  regions  beyond.  By  hun- 
dreds they  followed  the  trail  of  the  settler's  wagon 
through  the  wilds  of  the  Western  Reserve  and  across 
the  rich  prairies  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase.  It  was 
through  the  perils  and  pains  of  such  unremembered 
heralds  of  the  cross  that  in  those  days  of  slow  locomo- 
tion the  isolated  settlements  were  kept  from  lajjsing  into 
barbarism.  They  planted  the  school  beside  the  church, 
and  infused  into  the  advancing  tide  of  migration  the 
saving  salt  of  intelligence  and  virtue.  Some  of  them 
tm'ned  their  feet  towards  the  vanishing  tribes  of  red 
men ;  and  some  of  them  went  southward.  A  graduate 
of  this  college,  following  close  upon  the  marching  col- 
umns of  '61,  established  at  Old  Point  Comfort  the  first 
school  for  freedmen,  and  began  the  work  which  to-day 
is  bringing  eight  million  men  of  African  descent  into 
intelligent  citizenship. 

On  such  an  occasion  as  this  w^e  may  perhaps  consider 
ourselves  released  from  the  obligation  to  confine  our 
praises  to  dead  heroes.  As  a  type  of  many  others,  let 
me  trace  the  career  of  one  who  here  received  his  diploma 
forty  years  ago,  and  who  has  become  the  most  widely 
6* 


86  UNION    COLLEGE. 

known  luissionury  uii  the  coiitiiK'nt  —  tireless,  dauntless, 
ul)iquitoiis.  First  a  missionary  to  the  aborigines  of  the 
Indian  Territory,  then  a  missionary  in  the  sparse  settle- 
ments of  ]\Iinnesota,  then  for  a  dozen  years  marshaling 
the  Chnreh's  advance  along  the  slopes  of  the  Rockies,  in 
Colorado,  iu  Montana,  and  Wyoming  and  Utah ;  penetrat- 
ing the  mining  camps,  where  godh^ssness  and  anarchy 
reigned  supreme,  appealing  to  the  consciences  of  desper- 
ate men  and  reminding  them  of  home  and  mother.  Still 
later  we  find  him  the  apostle  of  Alaska,  sailing  away  into 
wintry  seas  to  brave  the  forces  of  lawlessness  in  their 
farthest  strongliold  and  to  save  a  simple  race  from  ex- 
tinction. He  roused  the  Church  to  a  sense  of  her  respon- 
sibility, and  shamed  the  general  government  into  making 
provision  for  the  defense  of  its  helpless  wards.  Finally, 
true  to  the  spirit  of  his  alma  mater,  he  invited  a  union  of 
Churches  for  the  redemption  of  that  remote  principality, 
and  said  of  the  Catholic  priest  whom  he  found  engaged 
in  the  same  holy  service,  "  My  heart  went  out  to  him  as 
to  a  brother."  For  the  Church  of  his  own  allegiance, 
Sheldon  Jackson  accei»ted  the  i'(\gion  most  inhospital)le, 
and  planted  the  standard  of  the  cross  where  the  northern- 
most point  of  the  Republic  looks  out  on  the  l)leak  and 
lonely  prospects  of  the  Arctic  seas. 

But  our  theme  requires  us  to  take  a  wider  range.  A 
few  years  ago  I  received  a  letter  from  a  graduate  of  this 
college  who  was  doing  yeoman  service  on  the  Pacific 
slope,  offering  himself  as  a  foreign  missionary,  and  say- 
ing: "I  feel  that  I  ouglit  to  be  on  the  skirmish  line." 
With  scores  of  our  alumni  he  is  now  enduring  hardness 
as  a  good  soldier  "on  the  skirmish  line."  Some,  like 
those  who  joined  the  educational  foives  of  the  new 
Japan,  have  enjoyed  the  speedy  fruition  of  their  labors 
in  seeing  Christian  forbearance  and  self-restraint  and 
humanity  displacing  the  barbaric  code  which  lately  op- 
pressed that  now  rejuvenated  and  emancipated  nation. 


DISCOURSE.  87 

Some,  like  Lansing  beside  the  Pyramids  and  Crawford 
in  Damascus,  have  been  slowly  rearing  on  the  ruins  of 
hoary  civilizations  the  more  enduring  fal)ric  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  Others  have  8imi)ly  given  the  last,  full 
measure  of  a  soldier's  devotion  and  laid  down  their  lives, 
that  over  their  prostrate  forms  later  comrades  might 
press  on  to  victory.  Long  and  shining  is  the  martyr 
roll.  We  might  speak  of  Hume,  whose  grave  is  deep 
among  the  coral  and  pearls  of  the  Indian  Ocean  and 
whose  children  are  passing  on  through  Southern  India 
the  torch  which  he  kindled;  of  McQueen,  1)reatliing  out 
his  life  on  the  deadly  shores  of  Africa  and  leaving  as  his 
last  message  to  the  native  chief,  "  I  am  going  home  " ;  of 
Preston  and  Butler  in  China;  of  Nevins  also,  glorious 
missionary  and  prince  among  men  ;  of  Whiting,  who  fol- 
lowed in  the  track  of  the  pestilence,  bearing  succor  to 
the  famishing,  until  the  plague  claimed  him  as  its  victim, 
and  over  whose  lonely  grave  the  untaught  children  of 
the  East  paid  divine  honors.  Such  are  the  unwritten 
epics  of  this  sublime  crusade.  It  is  something  to  have 
touched  elbows  in  the  march  of  life  with  comrades  like 
these.  Amid  our  centennial  rejoicings  we  do  well  to 
bring  our  own  poor  lives  under  the  spell  of  their  ex- 
ample, and  to  borrow  stimulus  for  future  service  from 
the  pathos  and  chivalry  of  their  story ;  to  be  reminded 
by  them  of  that  teaching  of  our  Lord  and  Master,  which 
we  are  too  ready  to  forget :  "  He  who  saveth  his  life 
shall  lose  it ;  but  he  who  loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  shall 
save  it." 


We  build,  like  corals,  grave  on  grave, 
To  pave  a  path  that 's  sunward. 
We  are  beaten  back  in  many  a  strife, 
But  newer  strength  we  borrow. 
And  where  the  vanguard  halts  to-day 
The  rear  will  rest  to-morrow. 


88  UNION    COLLEGE. 

IV.  But  wo  cuuuot  leave  the  coiisideratiou  of  this 
theme  without  tuniiu^  for  a  moment  to  that  particular 
iu  which  the  position  and  influence  of  Union  College  are 
unique. 

If  tlio  first  petition  for  a  seat  of  learning  in  this  ancient 
town  had  hecn  granted,  the  institution  woidd  have  been 
known  as  (■linton  College,  based  upon  the  Heidelberg 
Catechism  and  the  decisions  of  the  Synod  of  Dort.  The 
delay  of  fifteen  years  resulted  in  making  it  Union  College, 
with  a  basis  as  broad  as  the  fundamental  convictions  of 
Christendom.  It  is  doubtful  whether  such  an  issue  could 
have  been  reached  a  century  ago  anywdiere  except  in  a 
Dutch  colony.  Union's  most  distinguished  historian  has 
painted  in  glowing  (,'olors  that  type  of  Puritanism  per- 
sonified in  William  the  Silent,  the  enlightened  and  tol- 
erant Puritanism  of  Holland.  Dirck  Romeyn  and  the 
Dutch  burghers,  who  a  hundred  years  ago  directed  the 
policy  of  this  historic  Church,  illustrated  the  noblest 
(pialities  of  the  Netherlands  when,  in  the  founding  of  the 
college,  they  sacrificed  the  narrower  interests  of  a  de- 
nomination that  they  might  advance  the  larger  interests 
of  Christian  civilization.  The  union  proposed  and  accom- 
plished was  not  a  union  of  Churches,  but  a  union  of 
Christians  in  the  high  walks  of  learning.  The  founders 
of  the  college  took  pains  to  guard  against  ecclesiastical 
domination  by  providing  that  the  majority  of  the  trustees 
should  not  belong  to  any  one  sect.  It  was  their  aim  to 
establisli  an  institution  which  should  be  a  common 
gi'ound  of  meeting  for  men  of  all  creeds,  where  they 
might  rub  off  their  sharp  points  of  antagonism,  and  dis- 
cover underneath  all  superficial  differences  their  common 
heritage  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  their  common  calling  to 
patriotic  citizenship.  Their  design  is  well  expressed  in 
the  motto  selected  for  Union  University,  "  In  Necessariis 
Unitas,  in  Dubiis  Libertas,  in  Omnibus  Caritas." 

There  has  never  been  occasion  to  modifv  the  original 


DISCOURSE.  89 

plau.  Union  ColIej::e  has  not  escaped  those  strifes  whicli 
arise  from  personal  idiosyncrasy  or  conflict  of  policies; 
bnt  throngh  all  its  history  there  has  l)een  no  hint  of 
cleavage  along  the  lines  of  denominational  preference. 
Here  Baptists  and  Methodists,  Cameronians  and  Catho- 
lics, have  measnred  strength  in  the  generous  emulation 
of  classic  pursuits,  learning  to  estimate  at  their  true 
value  the  great  things  in  which  they  agree,  and  the 
minor  things  in  which  they  differ.  The  history  of  Union 
alunnii  bears  witness  that  this  sympathetic  association 
has  not  impaired  their  loyalty  to  their  respective  Churches, 
but  they  have  been  able  to  distinguish  between  loyalty 
and  bigotry,  and  to  rejoice  in  a  brotherhood  that  is 
broader  than  their  particular  household  of  faith.  The 
influence  of  that  catholicity  which  has  prevailed  here  is 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that  an  honored  son  of  this  col- 
lege, imbued  with  its  spirit  and  endeared  to  its  faculty 
by  his  manly  and  Christian  qualities,  is  to-day  the  trusted 
coadjutor  of  that  enlightened  prelate  who  represents  the 
See  of  Rome  at  the  national  capital. 

Eternity  alone  can  reveal  how  much  the  irenic  spirit 
of  Union  College  has  done  to  soften  sectarian  asperities, 
to  extend  the  reach  of  Christian  charity,  and  to  hasten  the 
fulfilment  of  the  Saviour's  prayer  for  His  disciples  yet 
unborn,  "  that  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou.  Father,  art 
in  me,  and  I  in  thee." 

This  may  be  still  a  far-off  event,  but  it  is  a  divine 
event,  and  toward  it  the  deepest  longings  of  Christendom, 
inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  steadily  tending.  To 
labor  for  this  blessed  consummation,  our  college  stands 
irrevocably  committed  by  her  charter,  by  her  traditions, 
by  the  life-work  of  that  great  cloud  of  witnesses  who,  in 
spiritual  presence,  now  encompass  us. 

Amid  the  rejoicings  of  these  commemorative  days, 
fragrant  with  hallowed  and  inspiring  recollections,  let  us 
consecrate   ourselves   anew   to   this   holy  purpose,   and 


90  UNION    COLLEGE. 

breathe  for  our  alma  mater  tli(5  prayer  so  eloquently 
voiced  by  her  distiii^uislied  orator  of  fifty  years  ago: 
"Honored  Parent  !  Heretofore  you  have  been  the  home 
of  religious  toleration.  May  you  b(^  so  still.  Thus  far 
you  have  been  the  nursery  of  free  spii'its,  of  a  compre- 
hensive and  large-minded  Init  reverent  philosophy ;  thus 
may  it  always  be.  .  .  .  And  when  the  term  of  fifty  years 
has  again  rolled  away,  and  your  children  and  children's 
children  shall  come  back  to  celebrate  your  praise  and 
write  up  your  records,  may  it  l)e  found  that  this  is  then 
the  home  of  brave  and  true  men  —  of  men  braver,  truer, 
holier  than  we,  that  better  and  wiser  spirits  have  risen 
up  to  direct  your  counsels,  and  that  a  higher  scholarship 
and  a  deeper  sanctity  are  sending  out  from  these  shrines 
rich  blessings  on  the  world." 


Conference  on  tlje  flelation?  of  Heiigion  anb  <JJbufation» 


« 


ADDRESS 

BY   REV.   A.   C.   SEWALL,  D.  D. 

Mhiistcr  of  the  First  Reformed  Church,  Schenectady,  N.  T. 

WE  are  met  for  friendly  conference.  It  is  assumed 
at  the  outset  that  we  are  not  all  agreed.  Our  aim 
is  not  contention,  however.  We  seek  not  to  defeat  or 
even  to  persuade,  but  to  enlighten  and  to  helj)  each  other. 
The  results  of  our  conference  ought  to  be  the  more  valu- 
able because  of  our  difference  of  standpoint  and  diversity 
of  view. 

Our  theme  is  broad  and  of  great  importance — "Re- 
ligion and  Education."  A  thorough  discussion  would 
require  the  consideration  of  religion  as  such,  and  of  the 
different  religions  as  they  appeared  among  men,  with 
the  relation  of  each  to  education.  I  anticipate,  however, 
that  we  shall,  in  this  discussion,  understand  by  religion 
Christianity,  and  by  education  culture. 

Religion  without  education  quickly  degenerates  into 
superstition  and  idolatry.  It  is  of  the  very  genius  of 
Christianity,  and  helps  to  mark  it  as  divine,  that  it  both 
requires  and  promotes  education.  We  shall  heartily 
agree,  I  think,  with  Dr.  Storrs,  that,  "Whatever  else  is 


92  UNION    COLLEGE. 

true  or  not,  tlx*  suiiorlative  educatioiiul  force  of  the  world 
appears  cnil.odit'd  in  tliis  system  of  faith  which  came  by 
peasants  as  its  ministers,  and  tlie  Son  of  a  carpenter  as 
its  mysterious  sovereij^n  Teacher." 

Christianity  requires  education  t(»  master  its  written 
documents  and  rightly  to  read  its  history;  it  promotes 
education  by  its  appeal  to  thought,  the  challenge  which 
not  a  few  of  its  truths  throw  down  to  the  human  reason, 
and  by  the  stimulus  it  gives  to  the  very  highest  possible 
personal  attainments.  It  is  a  sim|)l(i  matter  of  history 
that  the  free  public  school,  the  college,  and  the  university, 
are  all  the  outgrowth  of  Christianity.  Wherever  educa- 
tion has  sought  to  divorce  itself  from  religion,  howerer, 
culture  has  gradually  lost  the  virtuous  self-control  neces- 
sary to  guide  it  to  noble  ends.  Unless  education,  accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Channing's  fine  conception,  "unfolds  and 
directs  aright  our  whole  nature;  uidess  it  calls  forth 
power  of  evei-y  kind,  i30vver  of  thought,  affection,  will, 
and  outward  action;  power  to  observe,  to  reason,  to  judge, 
to  contrive;  power  to  adopt  good  ends  firmly  and  to 
pursue  them  efficiently ;  power  to  govern  oui'selves  and 
to  influence  others ;  power  to  gain  and  to  spread  happi- 
ness," it  fails  of  its  true  end  and  becomes  an  instrument 
of  evil. 

"Clear  ideas,"  says  F.  W.  Robertson,  "do  not  advance 
the  soul  one  step  toward  the  power  of  doing  what  is 
right,  neither  has  cultivated  understanding  any  necessary 
connection  with  strengthened,  much  less  purified,  will,  in 
which  alone  moral  excellence  lies."  Christianity  alone 
can  purify  and  give  that  strength  to  the  will  which  shall 
make  it  the  ca]>able  and  trustworthy  guide  of  an  ever- 
advancing  culture. 

We,  therefore,  wed  Christianity  and  culture,  religion 
and  education ;  or  rather,  we  rejoice  that  they  have  been 
wedded  in  a  higher  sphere  than  the  humble  sanctuary  of 
our  thought;  and  we,  therefore,  feel  justified  in  pronoun- 


ADDRESS.  93 

cing,  "What  God  hath  joined  togethei-  let  not  man  put 
asunder." 

Th(^  appropriateness  of  our  theme  to  tliis  phice  requires 
but  the  briefest  explanation.  Union  College,  in  celebrat- 
ing her  one  Imndi-edth  anniversary,  is  not  disposed  to 
forget  the  place  where  she  was  born.  Personally,  I  feel 
justly  proud  to-day  to  be  the  official  successor  of  that 
far-seeing,  liberal,  and  large-minded  man.  Rev.  Dr.  Dirck 
Romeyn,  the  seventh  pastor  of  this  First  Reformed 
Church,  to  whom  the  Dutch  Reformed  denomination. 
Union  College,  the  City  of  Schenectad}",  and  the  State  of 
New  York  owe  so  large  a  debt  of  gratitude.  I  hold  in 
my  hand  the  original  agreement  entered  into  by  a  meet- 
ing of  citizens,  called  at  Dr.  Romeyn's  suggestion  and  at 
which  he  presided,  pursuant  to  which  the  Academy  was 
built,  which,  ten  years  later,  and  largely  under  Dr. 
Romeyn's  influence,  became  Union  College.  It  is  signifi- 
cant of  the  wise  catholicity  of  the  founders  that  in  the 
original  charter  of  the  college  a  clause  was  inserted  pro- 
viding that  no  religious  denomination  shall  ever  acquire 
a  majority  in  the  board  of  trustees.  The  college  was 
meant  to  be  in  reality  as  well  as  in  name  a  Union  college, 
admitting  to  all  its  privileges  and  on  an  equal  footing 
young  men  desirous  of  liberal  culture,  whatever  their 
personal  religious  preferences.  From  the  beginning  the 
college  has  aimed,  and  it  still  aims,  to  be  true  to  the  pur- 
pose of  its  founders,  nor  will  those  who  now  administer 
its  affairs  consent  to  limit  the  execution  of  that  purpose 
by  the  old-time  conceptions  of  liberality.  They  I'ather 
seek  to  keep  fully  abreast  of  the  times  in  the  effort  to 
maintain  the  broadest  catholicity  consistent  with  loyalty 
to  truth  as  such,  whatever  its  som'ce  and  aim. 

We,  therefore,  welcome  to  this  discussion  to-day  rep- 
resentatives of  different  bodies  of  Christians,  that  each 
may  freely  speak  from  his  own  standpoint  of  the  rela- 
tions between  religion   and   education   as  he  conceives 


94  UNION    COLLEGE. 

thciii,  or  of  methods,  teiidc^iicies,  needs,  ix'([uirements,  eii- 
eouragemeiits,  as  each  may  deem  conducive  to  the  best 
results  of  our  cojifen'injz;  with  cacli  other. 

Permit  me  to  preface  the  introduction  of  the  several 
speakers  with  this  simple  sentiment:  May  that  unity  of 
all  true  believers  for  which  Christ  Jesus  prayed  be  not 
inconsiderably  ])romoted  by  this  and  all  kindred  nssom- 
blages. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  introduce  as  the  first  speaker 
of  the  afternoon  a  gentleman  who  re}>resents  that  great 
movement  to  which  England  and  the  world  owe  so  much 
for  the  revival  of  spiritual  Christianity,  as  well  as  for  its 
educational  institutions,  the  Rev.  B.  B.  Loomis,  of  the 
Class  of  '63,  now  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Canajoharie,  New  York. 


ADDRESS 

BY   REV.   B.   B.   LOOMLS,   D.  D.,  PH.  D. 

Class  of  1863. 

KEPEESENTING  THE   METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

MY  heart  is  filled  with  a  twofold  joy  to-day.  I  am 
permitted  to  return  to  alma  mater  and  unite  with  my 
fellow-alumni  and  the  citizens  of  this  goodly  city  in  cel- 
ebrating the  centennial  of  Old  Union  —  and  I  am  also, 
through  the  genuine  catholicity  which  makes  the  name 
"  Union  "  more  than  a  mere  empty  title,  given  a  few  min- 
utes in  which  to  represent  the  Church  of  my  choice,  my 
spiritual  alma  mater,  and  trace  some  of  her  work  for  re- 
ligion and  education  by  the  side  of  Union  College,  down 
through  the  century. 

Methodism  was  born  at  a  university  and  in  a  revival, 
and  hence  has  always  been  in  a  high  degree  favorable  to 
both  religion  and  education.  The  youngest  of  all  the  great 
denominations,  its  earnest  evangelizing  spirit  has  given  it 
remarkable  success  in  gathering  people  into  Christian  con- 
gregations, and  training  them  in  habits  of  religion  and 
virtue. 

Anticipating  the  discovery  of  the  correlation  of  forces 
by  half  a  century,  the  early  Methodists  soon  learned  how 
to  transmute  the  spiritual  fervor  of  their  converts  into 
religious  activity,  and  developed  a  zeal  which  has  led  the 
Church  to  push  out  with  the  advancing  tides  of  immigra- 


96  UNION    COLLEGE. 

tiou  and  plant  tlic  institutions  of  Christianity  on  the  ever- 
widening  frontier  of  our  civilization. 

Its  system  of  cii-cuit-proachinj^,  by  which  one  earnest 
man  could  sui)i)ly  a  doz<m  or  moi-e  scattered  hamlets  or 
country  neighborhoods  with  religious  services,  was  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  pioneer  work,  and  enabled  the  de- 
nomination to  lay  bmad  and  enduring  foundations  for 
the  great  Church  which  has  since  arisen. 

The  economy  of  Methodism  provides  for  the  use  of  her 
forces  with  the  least  possible  loss  of  power.  Through  her 
unique  system  of  pastoral  supply  she  has  no  vacant  pul- 
pits and  no  idle  pastors.  The  frequent  changes  in  the 
pastorate  of  the  churches  keep  the  great  fundamental 
truths  of  Christianity,  with  their  divine  impressiveness 
and  saving  power,  constantly  before  the  people,  and  the 
Divine  Spirit  has  greatly  honored  the  simple,  plain,  prac- 
tical preaching  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

It  is  a  matter  of  simple  historical  accuracy  to  say  that 
Methodism  stands  to-day  the  largest,  and  numerically  by 
far  the  strongest,  of  all  the  Protestant  denominations  of 
America. 

Her  various  branches  on  this  continent  have  now  a  total 
of  four  million  five  hundred  thousand  communicants, 
ministered  to  by  more  than  twenty-nine  thousand  clergy- 
men and  sheltered  in  nearly  fifty  thousand  places  of 
worship,  of  all  classes,  from  the  lowliest  to  the  most  mag- 
nificent, with  an  aggregate  value  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  million  dollars.  Special  care  has  always  been  taken 
of  the  children  and  youth,  so  that  the  Sunday-schools  of 
American  Methodism  enroll  more  than  four  million  mem- 
l)ers  and  the  Young  People's  Societies,  known  mostly  as 
Ep worth  Leagues,  are  to-day  over  a  million  strong. 

While  building  uj)  this  colossal  ecclesiastical  structure, 
Methodism  has  not  forgotten  the  claims  of  needy  and  suf- 
fering humanity.  Her  philanthropic  and  eleemosynary 
enterprises  have  been  on  the  same  broad  scale. 


ADDRESS.  97 

Her  bishops  now  circumnavigate  the  globe  in  their  of- 
ficial visits  to  her  world-wide  missions.  A  few  years  since, 
when,  for  the  first  time,  the  annual  missionary  contribu- 
tions of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  aggregated  a 
round  million  of  dollars,  the  missionary  secretaries  re- 
ceived a  congratulatory  note  from  Dr.  R.  S.  Storrs,  ex- 
pressing the  hope  (while  implying  a  fear)  that  the  effort 
was  not  a  mere  spasm  of  benevolence,  and  that  the 
grand  advance  would  be  maintained.  The  contributions 
of  the  Church  have  never  since  fallen  below  that  mark, 
and  last  year,  amidst  all  the  financial  stringency  of  the 
times,  $1,137,000  was  poured  into  the  treasury  of  the 
parent  society,  while  half  a  million  of  dollars  more  were 
contributed  by  the  Women's  Home  and  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Societies  for  the  same  great  cause.  The  Board  of 
Church  Extension  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
has  during  the  twenty-eight  years  of  its  existence  re- 
ceived and  disbursed  more  than  $5,000,000,  and  aided  in 
the  erection  of  over  9000  churches,  while  for  several 
years  past  the  denomination  has  been  building  churches 
at  the  rate  of  two  for  every  working  day  in  the  year. 

Though  but  a  young  Church,  having  celebrated  the 
centennial  of  her  organization  less  than  eleven  years 
since,  she  has  already  established  her  hospitals  at  various 
points  and  instituted  homes  for  the  indigent  aged  and  for 
homeless  children ;  and  in  every  department  of  real  re- 
ligious work  this  Church  has  been  striving  to  obey  the 
mandate  of  her  divine  Lord  and  Master,  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature,  and  fulfil  the  design  of  her  ex- 
istence by  spreading  Scriptural  holiness  over  the  land. 

The  Methodist  Church  has  also  always  been  the  firm 
friend  and  earnest  advocate  of  education,  in  both  its  ele- 
mentary and  its  higher  forms. 

The  slur  of  illiteracy  has  sometimes  been  flung  at 
Methodism  by  those  who  were  ignorant  of  her  origin  and 
history ;  but  facts  show  conclusively  that  no  one  de- 
7 


98  UNION    COLLEGE. 

iioiniiiatioii  lias  done  iiioi-c  to  awaken  and  ti*ain  tin;  in- 
tellect than  has  she. 

Tt  is  true  that  from  the  first  the  (lenoniination  has 
admitted  many  laborers  into  the  ranks  of  her  ministry 
who  were  not  liberally  educated,  but  this  has  been  from 
the  necessities  of  the  rapidly-growing  work  rather  than 
from  choice,  and  the  pro))oi'tion  of  such  is  every  year 
decreasing,  while  a  large  number  of  graduates  from  both 
college  and  theological  seminary  enter  the  Methodist 
ministry  annually. 

John  Wesley,  besides  writing  and  printing  many  works 
of  his  own,  also  abridged  and  published  many  other 
books  for  the  use  of  his  societies  in  England,  and  made 
all  his  itinerant  preachers  agents  for  the  dissemination 
of  this  literature  among  the  people. 

American  Methodism,  soon  after  the  organization  of 
the  Chnrch  in  1784,  established  a  religious  pul)lishing 
house  in  the  City  of  New  York  on  a  borrowed  capital  of 
$600.  This  establishment  has  grown  and  expanded  with 
the  growth  of  the  Church  until  now  there  are  branch 
houses  in  the  princi[)al  cities  of  the  land,  with  an  aggre- 
gate capital  of  over  $:'),000,000. 

During  the  past  century  $50,000,000  worth  of  religious 
literature  has  gone  from  this  source  into  the  homes  of 
the  people,  leaves  from  the  tree  of  life  foi-  the  health  of 
the  nation.  A  great  family  of  denominational  periodi- 
cals has  sprung  up,  of  widely  differing  characteristics, 
from  the  stately  review,  filled  with  the  results  of  the 
ripest  thought  and  the  highest  culture,  down  through 
the  ranks  of  the  family  religious  newspaper,  the  organ 
for  the  young  people's  societies,  the  teachers'  journal  and 
the  children's  papers,  all  ably  conducted  and  vigorously 
sustained. 

The  total  circulation  of  such  periodicals  in  all  the 
branches  of  American  Methodism  is  not  less  than  three 
and  a  half  million  cox)ies,  and  it  is   impossible  to  ade- 


ADDRESS.  99 

quately  estimate  the  leavening  power  for  good  exerted 
by  all  these  magazines  and  papers. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  also,  very  soon  after 
taking  an  organic  form  in  this  land,  showed  its  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  higher  education  by  establishing  an  institu- 
tion of  learning,  known  as  Cokesbury  College,  at  Abing- 
don, Maryland.  This  school,  of  high  classical  grade,  did 
good  work  until  twice  destroyed  by  fire,  and  was  the  pecul- 
iar charge  of  the  pioneer  bishop,  Asbury,  who  went  up  and 
down  the  land  preaching  on  the  close  relations  of  relig- 
ion and  education.  The  spirit  of  the  primitive  bishop 
has  been  preserved  in  the  Methodist  book  of  discipline, 
which  makes  it  the  duty  of  every  pastor  to  preach  spe- 
cifically on  the  subject  of  education,  and  to  take  an  in- 
terest in  all  the  young  people  of  his  charge  who  are  seek- 
ing the  advantages  of  higher  education. 

Cokesbury  College  was  the  first  of  a  long  line  of  edu- 
cational institutions  originated  and  fostered  by  the  Meth- 
odist Church.  Besides  the  educational  work  of  Southern 
Methodism,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  now  in 
active  operation  no  fewer  than  sixty  theological  sem- 
inaries, colleges,  and  universities,  having  property  in 
lands,  buildings,  and  endowments  amounting  to  $24,000,- 
000,  with  instructors  to  the  number  of  1600,  and  25,000 
students.  Several  of  these  institutions  are,  as  the  name 
implies,  real  universities,  like  our  own  Union  University, 
having  several  complete  departments,  as  those  of  liberal 
arts,  law  and  medicine,  or  theology;  or  the  fine  arts  of 
music,  painting,  and  architecture. 

At  the  apex  of  Methodist  educational  institutions  stands 
the  newly-organized  "  American  University "  at  the  na- 
tional capital.  This  institution,  which  is  for  post-gradu- 
ate study  only,  is  planned  on  the  broadest  scale,  and 
aims  to  promote  the  highest  and  most  thorough  scholar- 
ship. 

Any   view   of   the  work  of  Methodism   in    education 


100  UNION    COLLEGE. 

would  !)('  far  IVoiii  coiiipkilc  which  omitted  all  iiiciitioii 
of  her  fifty-six  classical  seminaries,  where  college  pre- 
paratory work  is  done,  and  many  young  people  wlio 
never  reach  the  college  nvo  fitted  to  do  well  their  work  in 
life. 

It  is  but  just  to  add  that  no  small  fraction  of  the  edu- 
cational work  of  Methodism  for  the  i)ast  twenty-five 
years  has  been  a  labor  of  love  and  Christian  benevolence 
among  the  colored  people  of  the  South,  nearly  $3,000,- 
000  having  been  expended  there  within  that  time. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  Methodist  Church  has  l)een 
from  the  first,  and  never  more  so  than  now,  the  firm 
friend  of  ivuo.  culture  and  real  piety,  believing  that 
science  and  n^ligion,  the  knowledge  of  the  works  and  of 
the  Word  of  God,  should  ever  walk  the  earth,  like  twin- 
sisters,  hand  in  hand  to  honor  God  and  bless  mankind. 


ADDRESS 

BY   REV.   WALTER  SCOTT,   A.  M. 

Class  of  1868. 

KEPKESENTING   THE   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

I  COUNT  it  a  privilege  on  the  present  occasion  to  speak 
for  the  Baptist  people  on  the  subject  of  Education. 
The  theme  assigned  is  "The  Spirit  of  Baptists  toward 
Higher  Education."  Their  views  on  higher  education  do 
not  differ  materially  from  their  views  on  education  in 
general.  I  may,  therefore,  be  allowed  to  give  these  gen- 
eral views  on  this  imj)ortant  interest. 

First,  the  Baptist's  attitude  toward  public  education. 
His  views  on  this  subject  are  shaped  by  his  views  as  to 
the  relation  of  Church  and  State.  It  may  not  be  neces- 
sary to  say  in  this  presence  that  Baptists  have  always 
stood  for  the  complete  severance  of  Church  and  State. 
If  it  be  granted  that  public  education  is  one  of  the  func- 
tions of  society  organized  in  government,  and  Baptists 
so  believe,  such  education  should  be  conducted  without 
control  or  interference  on  the  part  of  any  religious  body. 
Such  control  or  interference  is  a  union  of  Church  and 
State  in  a  greater  or  less  degree.  Let  the  citizenship  of 
the  land  develop  public  education  on  a  broad  and  popu- 
lar basis,  neither  offending  nor  propagating  the  religious 
preferences  of  any  part  of  the  community.  As  nearly  as 
possible  it  should  be  colorless  in  a  religious  way.  On 
7*  wi 


102  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  utlier  liiuid,  irreligioii  must  not  be  suffercMl  to  make 
public  education  a  propaganda.  In  no  scliool  of  the  peo- 
ple let  a  man's  faith  be  evil  spoken  of,  nor  any  man's 
doubt.  Otlier  places  abound  for  religious  instruction 
and  discussion.  In  brief,  the  Baptist's  position  toward 
pul)lic  education  is  one  of  cordial  sympathy  as  a  citizen. 
He  recognizes  its  necessary  limitations,  ])ut  believes  no 
other  agency  has  done  or  can  do  the  work  so  well.  Let 
its  work  stand. 

As  to  the  development  of  public  or  State,  as  distin- 
guished from  National,  education  the  Bai)tist  holds  pro- 
nounced opinions.  Here,  also,  his  religious  views  color 
his  opinions.  The  Baptist  Church  is  preeminently  a 
democratic  Vxxly.  It  has  been  called  an  ideal  republic. 
Every  member  has  a  voice  in  its  affairs.  What  may  be 
called  a  dual  ballot — that  is,  male  and  female  suffrage  — 
has  long  been  the  order  in  Baptist  churches.  Their 
strength  has  lain  in  the  body  of  the  people,  rather  than 
in  what  are  called  the  higher  and  lower  classes.  These 
facts  put  the  Church  in  sympathy  with  the  people.  It 
believes  in  the  rise  of  the  people,  or,  if  you  prefer,  of  all 
peoples.  It  has  no  fears  of  vast  popular  movements. 
They  are  to  be  expected,  and  result  in  good.  Baptists 
hold,  from  their  strong,  democratic  spirit,  to  the  propo- 
sition that  equal  privileges  should  be  open  to  all  youth 
in  public  education.  To  apply  and  illustrate  this  propo- 
sition would  take  more  space  than  is  here  given.  It 
must  suffice  to  say  that  this  principle  has  scarcely  been 
put  in  practice  as  yet  in  any  community,  much  less  in 
any  State.  There  is  a  difference  in  every  city  between 
the  wealthy  and  the  poor  sections.  There  is  a  distinction 
in  every  State  between  the  rich  and  the  poor  district,  be- 
tween city  and  country.  The  truth  seems  to  be  that  the 
State  has  not  yet  placed  its  hand  firmly  on  the  education 
of  its  youth.  Country  district,  town,  or  city  manag(»- 
ment,  purely  local  and  limited  agencies,  baffle  society  in 


ADDRESS.  103 

its  aim  after  equality  of  educational  privilege.  Massa- 
chusetts, always  in  the  van  in  public  education,  has 
taken  important  steps  in  recent  legislation.  Other 
States  are  wheeling  into  lin(>,  hut  nowhere  is  the  goal  yet 
reached.  Public  education  should  be  lifted  ont  of  the 
narrow  limits  hitherto  existing  and  recognized  as  one  of 
the  chief  interests  of  the  entire  commonwealth.  The 
times  are  ripe  for  a  comprehensive  plan  of  State  educa- 
tion which  shall  insure  equality  of  educational  privilege 
to  all  youth. 

Turning  to  National  as  distinguished  from  State  edu- 
cation, Baptists  hold  a  similar  attitude.  Give  all  youth 
of  the  nation  their  birthright  —  equality  of  educational 
privilege.  It  is,  of  course,  conceded  that  the  States  have 
a  sphere  of  educational  work  into  which  the  nation  may 
perhaps  never  enter,  and  that  States  may  vary  in  their 
educational  policy.  But  it  remains  that  the  nation  has 
an  educational  opportunity  and  duty.  It  has  already 
its  naval  and  military  schools  and  other  agencies.  A 
single  battle  may  cost  as  much  as  a  college  or  university. 
No  one  believes  our  nation  will  stop  here.  The  concep- 
tion of  a  national  university  is  not  new,  but  it  has  not 
taken  definite  form.  The  idea  has  been  advanced  and 
advocated  by  some  of  the  most  practical  men  of  affairs 
the  nation  has  produced.  Give  the  nation  a  few  men 
with  the  instincts  of  educators  and  statesmen  to  lead, 
and  the  vague  aspirations  looking  toward  national  edu- 
cation will  be  soon  embodied  in  legislation  and  institu- 
tions. 

Such  an  enterprise  may  result  in  good  by  preventing 
the  States  from  enterprises  in  the  way  of  State  universi- 
ties, if  by  university  is  meant  an  institution  for  profes- 
sional and  graduate  study.  Such  work  involves  large 
funds,  teaching  power,  and  appliances.  It  is  expensive 
and  needless  for  most  States.  Let  fewer  but  better  uni- 
versities be  the  new  order.     If  the  State  carries  its  youth 


104  UNION    COLLECxE. 

from  kiiulergiirteii  tliruiigli  college  or  its  equivalent,  uni- 
versity work  may  fall  to  the  States  on  a  joint  basis  or  to 
the  nation.  However  these  matters  may  be  wrought  out, 
the  Baptist  holds  to  a  pulilie  odueational  policy  which 
sliall  give  each  youth  his  bii'thi'iglit  —  e(pudity  of  educa- 
tional privilege. 

Second,  the  Baptist's  attitude  toward  th(^  <lenonniiation 
in  education. 

Baptists  believe  the  denomination  also  has  a  place  in 
education  on  account  of  the  limitations  of  public  educa- 
tion. Such  limitations  appear  in  the  teaching  fostered 
under  a  public  system.  These  have  been  partly  sug- 
gested. It  is  not  possible  to  enlarge  upon  them  here. 
Under  l)oth  public  and  denominational  systems,  especially 
in  the  highest  ranges  of  study  and  teaching,  freedom  of 
teaching,  or  LeJirfrciheif,  and  freedom  of  study,  or  Lernfrci- 
heltj  must  be  defined  and  guarded.  With  such  freedom, 
however,  there  must  go  responsibility,  for  freedom  and 
responsibility  cannot  be  separated. 

Public  education  is  limited  in  another  way.  Each  com- 
munit}"  or  commonwealth  works  by  itself.  Nation  stands 
apart  from  nation.  State  from  State.  The  denomination 
is  an  inter-state,  or  rather  an  international,  agency  which 
may  run  to  and  fro  over  the  entire  earth.  It  is  not 
bounded  by  national  limits,  but  is  a  commonwealth  dif- 
fused among  the  nations.  Here  is  an  opportunity  not  to 
be  lightly  passed  by.  It  is  greater  to-day  than  ever  be- 
fore. They  err  who  think  the  denomination  is  a  spent 
force  in  education.  It  is  rather  an  old  force  under  new 
and  favorable  conditions.  The  British  War  Ofifice  touches 
to-day  with  telegraphic  finger  half  of  the  globe.  A  gi*eat 
religious  body  with  membership  in  all  parts  of  the  earth 
reaches  humanity  by  its  educational  effort  as  never  in  the 
past. 

Baptists  again  believe  the  Christian  denomination  has 
a  place  in  education,  because  religion  furnishes  a  basis 


ADDRESS.  105 

and  motive  for  educatiou.  Nothing  moves  man  so  pro- 
foundly as  religion.  It  stirs  the  deepest  sentiments  of 
the  heart.  It  begets  the  purest  and  holiest  enthusiasms. 
Under  its  benign  teaeliings  a  nobler  type  of  manhood 
thrives  and  human  l)rotli('rhood  grows  apaee.  State  and 
National  education,  while  not  formally  religious,  owe  their 
origin  to  its  pervasive  spirit,  which,  like  leaven,  spreads 
through  the  body  politic,  and,  like  the  sun,  sends  its  light 
everywhere.  Religion  molds  the  foremost  races,  and  lifts 
the  lowest  stratum  of  humanity  to  a  loftier  plane.  The 
most  powerful  motives  for  self-improvement  and  for  the 
betterment  of  humanity  come  from  the  spirit  of  religion. 
It  is  the  strongest  factor  in  universal  education. 

Still  further,  the  experience  of  Baptists  in  education 
strengthens  their  faith  in  it.  Many  great  teachers  have 
arisen  in  this  communion.  It  has  given  to  American  ed- 
ucation an  Anderson  and  Dodge,  a  Wayland  and  Sears,  a 
Kendrick  and  Hackett,  a  Eobinson  and  Strong,  a  Broad- 
dus  and  Andrews,  a  Curry  and  Harper,  a  Welling  and 
Boyce.  Strong  supporters  of  this  work  have  also  risen 
up  among  Baptists  who  have  given  their  wealth  to  edu- 
cation. This  has  increased  more  in  recent  years.  The 
denomination  has  founded  and  maintained  numerous 
schools,  academies,  colleges,  and  seminaries.  Reports  of 
the  Baptist  denomination  give  statistics  on  this  head.  I 
venture  merely  to  summarize  them. 

Colleges  and  theological  seminaries  in  the  United 
States:  42  institutions,  789  teachers,  10,322  pupils, 
$22,884,991  total  property. 

Total  institutions  in  the  United  States  (including  above, 
with  some  additional  colleges  and  numerous  academies) : 
159  institutions,  1,846  teachers,  31,337  pupils,  $31,927,- 
624  total  property. 

The  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  (largest  Bap- 
tist missionary  society)  has  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa, 
1,246  schools  and  26,214  pupils. 


106  union  college. 

Totals. 

T^iiit«M]  States 31,:i37  pupils 

Other  countries  (estimated),  Caucasian  2,000  " 
A.  B.  M.  Union,  missionary  fields  .  .  .  26,214  " 
Other  societies  (estimated) 13,000     " 


72,551 

The  majority  of  these  pupils  are  in  schools  of  secondary 
grade  and  higher. 

Those  institutions  were  started  from  the  n(>l)le8t  relig- 
ious motives.  Tlieir  teachers  in\t  their  heart  into  the 
work.  Their  students  have  been  a  blessing  to  the  world. 
To-day  these  schools  stand  by  the  Hudson,  the  Mississippi, 
the  Congo,  the  Ganges.  This  effort  is  moving  on  in  the 
great  world  centers,  at  London,  Calcutta,  Yokohama, 
Chicago,  Washington,  and  in  remote  and  neglected  places 
among  j^oor  and  obscure  people.  It  aims  at  the  backward 
as  well  as  the  foremost  races.  None  can  contemplate  the 
educational  work  of  this  or  of  other  great  Christian  bodies 
with  indifference.  The  work  is  a  growing,  not  a  waning, 
enterjjrise.     It  is  a  rosy  dawn,  not  a  fading  day. 

The  (Christian  denomination  is  thus  a  world-wide  force 
in  education.  State  and  nation  plan  foi-  a  limited  popu- 
lation or  area ;  this  contemplates  the  training  of  the  race. 
Measure  its  field — it  is  as  broad  as  the  earth,  as  extensive  as 
humanity.  How  can  it  lay  down  its  work  without  being 
faithless  to  a  great  opportunity  f  On  the  contrary,  it 
must  organize  and  correlate  its  agencies  better  than  in  the 
past.  Let  it  continue  to  train  and  send  forth  leaders. 
Let  it  fire  the  heart  of  nations  with  a  generous  sympathy 
for  their  own  populations.  It  may  appeal  to  men  of 
wealth  to  consecrate  their  wealth  to  this  cause,  which  lies 
at  the  basis  not  alone  of  social  progress,  but  of  the  very 
life  of  society.  It  gives  humanity  a  true  ideal  and  leads 
on  to  equal  and  univei'sal  education. 


ADDRESS.  107 

There  i.s  no  time  to  enlarge  ui)on  these  themes,  but 
ampler  treatment  would  put  in  stronger  light  the  idea  I 
have  ti-ied  to  emphasize,  that  the  Cliristian  denomination 
has  a  broadening  field  and  opportunity  in  universal  edu- 
cation. I  may  name  in  this  connection  one  characteristic 
fact  of  our  times  —  the  consecration  of  great  wealth  to 
educati(^n.  do  back  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Who  could 
foresee  the  recent  vast  accumulations  of  wealth  ?  Or  who 
could  foretell  the  great  benefactions  of  men  of  wealth  to 
education  ?  Cooper,  Cornell,  Colgate,  Pratt,  Drexel,  Stan- 
ford, Hopkins,  Fayerweather,  Slater,  Peabody,  Rockefel- 
ler,—  we  cannot  even  call  the  roll  of  names  that  will  never 
fade  from  the  memory  of  humanity.  If  education  ranks 
among  the  first  interests  of  the  race,  these  men  stand 
among  the  truest  benefactors  of  mankind.  They  are 
master-builders  in  rearing  the  fabric  of  a  better  social 
order.  Analyze  the  lives  and  motives  of  these  men,  and 
it  will  appear  that  a  religious  motive  directly  or  indirectly 
impelled  them  in  their  undertakings.  They  were  not  dis- 
obedient to  the  heavenly  vision.  This  will  not  cease. 
Men  will  devote  wealth  in  the  future  to  education  as  they 
have  done,  but  in  a  larger  way  and  on  a  broader  plan. 
They  have  given  millions ;  they  will  give  tens  of  millions. 

Mark,  also,  how  plans  have  grown.  Peter  Cooper  gave 
to  the  youth  of  a  city,  Ezra  Cornell  to  the  youth  of  a 
commonwealth,  Daniel  Slater  to  a  neglected  race  diffused 
over  the  South,  George  Peabody  to  another  race  in  the 
same  region.  A  Christian  philanthropist  will  rise  up  in 
the  future  to  devote  his  wealth  to  the  better  training  of 
youth,  not  in  a  city,  state,  or  nation  merely,  but  the  whole 
world  over.  Such  a  gift  will  mark  a  new  era  in  uni- 
versal education.  The  administration  of  such  gifts  is 
to-day  possible  to  a  degree  never  before  equaled  in  hu- 
man history. 

Third,  the  Baptist's  attitude  toward  denominational 
cooperation  in  education. 


108  UNION    COLLEGE. 

The  times  are  not  rii)e  for  full  cooperation  as  yet,  be- 
cause the  workl-field  is  so  vast  that  they  who  work  in  it 
scarcely  touch  each  other.  But  soon  the  vastness  of  the 
field  will  show  the  necessity  of  joint  labor  in  universal 
education.  How  such  union  of  effort  may  be  effected  we 
cannot  discuss  here,  but  a  law  of  organization  or  principle 
of  cooperation  will,  doubtless,  touch  these  great  and  be- 
neficent educational  forces  of  our  common  Christianity. 
Already  there  are  suggestions  pointing  along  this  line. 
The  Chautauqua  movement  has  a  home  in  many  parts 
of  the  world.  The  international  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  is  es- 
tablished far  and  wide,  and  is  pushing  forward  with  a 
spirit  big  with  hope.  Christian  denominations  have  their 
schools  in  all  lands.  The  printed  page  and  the  teacher 
have  an  open  world  before  them.  I  point  to  the  history 
of  this  college,  standing  at  the  threshold  of  its  second 
century,  as  an  illustration  of  such  cooperation  of  Chris- 
tian men.  Eliphalet  Nott,  the  Presbyterian;  Alonzp 
Potter,  the  Episcopalian ;  Francis  Wayland,  the  Ba[)tist ; 
John  Newman,  the  Methodist ;  Tayler  Lewis,  of  the  Re- 
formed Chm-ch,  labored  side  by  side,  loyal  to  the  Churches 
of  which  they  were  ornaments  and  the  cause  of  education 
of  which  they  were  promoters.  Whatever  may  be  the 
future  of  this  college, —  we  confidently  hope  it  may  be 
one  of  honor  and  usefulness, —  the  idea  on  which  it  rests 
is  destined  to  have  a  large  place  in  Christian  education 
throughout  the  world. 

I  have  sought  briefly  to  give  the  views  of  Baptists  on 
public  education,  State  and  National;  on  denominational 
education,  and  on  the  cooperation  of  Christian  denomi- 
nations in  education.  Baptists  believe  the  Christian  idea 
to  be  fundamental  as  a  basis,  motive,  and  inspiration.  It 
is  the  Son  of  Man  who  In-ings  to  the  sons  of  men  in  all 
the  earth  equal  privileges  in  religion  and  education. 

The  work  goes  forward  as  Baptists  view  it.  Events 
and  upheavals  may  seem  to  check  advance,  but  they  do 


ADDRESS.  109 

SO  ill  appearance  only,  not  in  reality.  Mental  and  spiri- 
tnal  forces,  like  the  great  operations  of  Nature,  the  falling 
(low,  the  spri^ad  of  light,  the  growth  of  harvests,  move 
silently  but  surely.  A  fairer  social  order  is  rising;  but, 
as  in  the  rearing  of  the  ancient  temple,  we  hear  no  sound 
of  chisel,  no  blow  of  hammer.  To  that  regenerated  form 
of  society  we  inay  npply  the  imniortal  words  of  Milton: 
"Methiuks  I  see  in  my  mind  a  noble  and  puissant  nation, 
rousing  herself  like  a  strong  man  after  sleep,  and  shaking 
her  invincible  locks ;  methinks  I  see  her  as  an  eagle, 
mewing  her  mighty  youth,  and  kindling  her  undazzled 
eyes  at  the  full  noonday  beam,  purging  and  unsealing 
her  long- abused  sight  at  the  fountain  itself  of  heavenly 
radiance."  Or  it  may  be  like  the  earthly  dawning  of  the 
pro})hetic  vision,  fair  l:>ut  long  delayed,  of  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness,  where 
knowledge  fills  the  earth  as  waters  cover  the  mighty 
deep. 


ADDEESS 

BY  REV.  THOMAS  E.  BLISS,  D.  D. 

Class  of  1848. 
KEPKESENTING   THE   PKESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 

THERE  is  ail  atmosphere,  it  is  said,  imperceptible  to 
many,  but  which  in  fact  gathers  around  every  insti- 
tution of  learning  in  the  land.  The  philosophy  of  a  cer- 
tain institution  or  college  used  to  be  often  spoken  of  as 
having  come  from  the  atmosphere  of  that  region.  It  is 
so  to-day  with  regard  to  Old  Union.  In  man 5^  things 
there  is  a  peculiar  atmosphere  which  is  found  here,  and 
which  is  represented  in  the  motto  on  the  seal  of  our 
beloved  mother :  "  In  essentials,  unity ;  in  non-essen- 
tials, lil)erty;  in  all  things,  charity."  This  spirit  has 
taken  strong  hold  of  the  great  body  of  the  graduates 
of  this  University.  As  one  of  its  representatives  in  the 
East  for  years,  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
in  the  West,  I  tliink  I  can  bear  good  testimony  to  the 
fruitful  and  beneficent  results  which  have  come  from 
the  cultivation  of  the  spirit  and  principle  presented  in 
that  motto.  In  my  own  native  State  of  Massachusetts 
we  were  wont  to  boast  of  our  deep  interest  in  educa- 
tion. Our  foi-efathers  had  hardly  landed  in  the  region 
of  Massachusets  Bay  or  on  Plymouth  Rock  before  they 
l>egan  to  consider  the  question  of  education.  Old  John 
Harvard,  a  Puritan  divine,  founded  Harvard  College  as 


ADDRESS.  Ill 

oarly  as  lOHO,  l)y  .C'ivinc;  ei,i;lit  liundrod  jiouiids  sterling',  and 
tliat  institution  lias  lived  on  and  has  been-a  power  in  the 
educational  ^Y()rld.  Yale  took  its  rise  in  the  beginning 
of  the  eighteenth  ctMitnry.  It  started  with  only  a  few 
books  contributed  by  the  neighboring  ministers  in  that 
region,  but  its  onward  progress  has  been  marked  with 
power;  and  all  along  there  have  been  great  glory  and 
honor  attending  the  history  of  that  institution.  Turn- 
ing now  to  Dartmouth  —  Old  Dartmouth,  where  Webster 
graduated,  and  that  prince  of  flowery  orators,  Rufus 
Ohoate, —  we  find  there  that  education  was  one  of  the 
first  things  which  took  hold  of  the  popular  mind.  Old 
Dr.  Wheelock,  early  in  the  enterprise  of  settling  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire,  there  founded  an  Indian  school. 
Many  imagine  that  Indian  education  is  a  modern  thing. 
Oh,  no !  Our  fathers  did  ten  times  more  of  that  work  in 
proportion  to  their  means  and  numbers  than  we  are 
doing  to-day.  They  founded  Dartmouth  College  as  an 
Indian  school.  Then  it  was  endowed  by  Lord  Dart- 
mouth, and  rose  to  its  present  position  of  honor  among 
the  great  educators  of  the  East.  Williams  had  a  similar 
origin,  though  not  an  Indian  school.  Amherst  came 
on  later ;  then  Brown.  I  was  settled  once  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Brown  University,  and  I  love  it  almost  as  well 
as  any  other,  though  not  quite  as  well  as  Old  Union. 
It  is  one  of  those  honored  institutions  that  took  their 
rise  in  the  early  history  of  New  England,  and  which  have 
done  a  mighty  work  in  sending  out  master-minds  for 
the  education  of  the  nation,  who  have  scattered  far  and 
wide  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  have  done, 
and  are  doing,  a  beneficent  work  in  laying  foundations 
broad  and  deep  in  all  the  new  and  rising  States  of  the 
great  West. 

But  we  must  not  dwell  too  long  upon  this  subject. 
I  have  been  exceedingly  pleased  to  hear  the  reports  of 
the  work  of  the  Baptists,  but  when  we  come  to  speak 


112  UNTOX    COLLEGE. 

of  the  early  Presbyterians,  Cougre.i^atioualists,  and  Dutch 
Reformed — as  wc  used  to  (tiiW  tliat  Church;  and  it  is 
an  honored  name,  the  Reformed  Church,  now  called  — 
we  find  that  they  were  often  blended  in  their  great 
religious  and  educational  enter) )rises.  As  late  as  1845, 
if  I  remember  correctly,  the  Presbyterian  and  Congre- 
gational Churches  were  united  as  one  in  the  support 
of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions.  New  England  sent  out 
her  young  men  and  maidens  and  settled  all  the  western 
region  of  New  York  State  v^ery  largely.  When  I  was 
there  near  Rochester  supplying  a  pulpit  some  years  ago, 
they  requested  me  to  write  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  When  I  looked  through  the  old  records  of 
that  Church  I  found  it  had  a  creed  as  sound  as  its  songs, 
ringing  clear  on  all  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the 
kingdom  of  our  God;  and  yet  it  was  for  sixty  years  in  its 
history  a  Congregational  Church,  founded  by  a  colony 
from  Pittsford,  Vermont.  So  I  might  go  on  to  almost 
any  extent  showing  how  the  blended  strength  of  these 
two  great  bodies  has  wrought  grandly  in  the  great  work 
of  education  and  the  greater  work  of  the  kingdom  of  our 
God. 

But  let  me  come  a  little  closer  to  the  present.  Having 
spent  most  of  my  ministry  upon  the  frontier  of  the  West, 
I  would  like  to  show  you  briefly  how  these  things  work 
together.  "In  essentials,  unity.  In  non-essentials,  lib- 
erty. In  all  things,  charitj'."  Some  years  ago  when  I 
left  my  charge  in  the  Old  Bay  State,  I  went  to  the  Upper 
Lakes,  and  there,  upon  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  at 
Hancock,  I  organized  a  Congregational  Church.  Within 
six  months  after  I  went  there  we  had  members  of  seven 
different  religious  bodies  who  were  members  in  good 
standing  in  that  Church;  yet  I  never  saw  a  more  united 
Church.  Its  members  worked  together  harmoniously; 
they  wei'e  all  seeking  one  common  object,  the  advance- 
ment of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  the  salvation  of  ini- 


ADDRESS.  Ml] 

mortal  souls.  I  witnessed  some  beautiful  sights  in  my 
own  home  there.  Many  times  after  its  occurrence  the 
fact  impressed  me  that  upon  a  certain  evening-  which 
I  now  recall  there  knelt  side  by  side  in  prayer  in  my 
house  members  of  these  seven  different  religious  bodies ; 
yet  no  one  would  ever  have  dreamed  that  they  ever  be- 
longed to  different  religious  denominations;  no  one  would 
ever  have  thought  that  they  had  not  been  from  child- 
hood in  the  same  religious  family.  I  also  found  that 
there  was  just  as  much  readiness  to  cooperate.  The 
spirit  was  large — in  the  great  essentials  they  were  one; 
private  opinions  they  held  without  disturbance,  but  in 
working  together  for  Grod  they  were  a  unit. 

Again  and  again  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  do  this 
same  thing.  I  am  pastor  to-day  of  a  church  in  which 
there  are  representatives  of  some  half-dozen  different 
bodies  among  its  members.  We  never  think  of  that 
difference.  We  all  work  together  and  pray  together. 
My  friends,  I  have  found  some  of  the  sweetest  hours 
of  my  ministerial  life  of  over  forty  years  among  those 
blended  souls,  singing  the  songs  of  Zion,  working  and 
praying  together,  and  for  the  common  welfare  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  Ecclesiastical  form  is  one  of  the  smallest 
things  we  have  to  consider.  It  is  the  union  of  hearts, 
the  union  of  sympathy,  the  union  of  as2:)iration  —  all 
drawing  their  inspiration  from  that  divine  fountain 
which  flows  from  the  pierced  side  of  our  precious  Sa- 
viour—  in  this  is  the  hiding  of  the  strength  of  the  king- 
dom of  our  God  in  this  world.  It  is  to  these  great 
things  that  we  need  to  give  our  thoughts,  the  things  that 
when  rightly  presented  bring  souls  together  as  one,  so 
that  they  all  speak  and  sing  in  the  sacred  "  language 
of  Canaan."  Yes;  that  is  one  of  the  beautiful  things 
that  I  can  recollect  here  in  other  days,  even  in  this  old 
city  of  our  great  love.  We  wish  you  to  understand  that 
we  intend  to  carry  forward  that  spirit  of  Christian  union 
8 


114  UNION    COLLEGE. 

more  and  inoi'c  in  the  West.  It  is  doing  a  great  and 
blessed  work  tliere.  Diflferent  religious  Inxlies  have  their 
place  and  value ;  but  iu  comuiunities  where  there  are  only 
a  few,  perhaps  half  a  dozen,  Christians,  of  as  many  dif- 
ferent denominations,  there  comes  in  the  need  of  union 
and  of  blending  of  hearts  in  the  work  for  the  Master, 
which  is  attended  with  tlie  most  benign  results.  In  edu- 
cational matters,  let  me  say  that  our  Methodist  friends 
have  the  stai-t  in  that  region,  and  we  are  very  glad  of 
it.  The  conditions  are  such  that  we  may  find  it  neces- 
sary to  unite  in  one  great  Union  University,  taking  dear 
Old  Union  as  our  model ;  and  I  have  recommended  it 
again  and  again.  I  was  glad  that  Dr.  Alexander  to-day 
made  mention  of  the  fact  that  in  this  college  and  in  its 
Board  of  Trustees  there  never  had  been  any  discord  be- 
tween the  various  denominational  elements.  It  is  one  of 
the  secrets  of  power  in  the  educational  and  religious  world 
that  we,  especially  in  earlier  frontier  work,  hold  fast  to 
the  motto  of  dear  Old  Union ;  and  with  that  we  expect  to 
win  success,  success  not  only  in  educational  matters,  but 
also  that  success  which  is  higher  —  success  in  the  up- 
building of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  among  the  great 
mountains  of  God,  where,  we  trust,  it  shall  stand  so 
long  as  time  shall  endure. 


ADDRESS 

BY  REV.  WILLIAM  D.  MAXON,  D.  D. 

Class  of  1878. 

EEPRESENTING   THE   PEOTESTANT   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

IT  is  one  advantage  of  a  conference  of  this  kind  that 
each  speaker  can  contribute  his  own  especial  thought, 
and  so  add  to  the  sum  total  of  thoughts.  I  regard  this 
subject  somewhat  in  a  general  way,  and  perhaps  more 
especially  from  a  philosophic  point,  with  some  consider- 
ation of  the  particular  difficulties  which  obtain  in  the 
matter  of  applying  religion  and  education.  If  I  were 
asked  to  speak  specifically  of  the  contributions  of  the 
Church  of  England  and  the  American  Episcopal  Church 
to-day  to  education,  I  should  have  no  need  to  feel  ashamed 
beside  the  quota  of  results  that  have  been  presented  here 
this  afternoon  by  our  Baptist  and  Methodist  brethren. 
However,  I  do  not  feel  myself  quite  justified  in  speaking 
specifically  of  the  results  of  the  work  of  the  American 
Episcopal  Church  in  matters  of  education  and  religion ; 
and  I  can  only  trust  that  as  I  speak  as  a  loyal  member 
of  the  American  Ef)iscoi)al  Church,  born  and  bred  in  it, 
you  will  take  what  I  say  as  reflecting  in  some  measure, 
though  very  poorly,  the  convictions  which  obtain  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  concerning  the  relation  of 
religion  to  education. 


Tin  UNION    COLLEGE. 

''It  is  tlic  cliiot'est  of  good  tiling's  foi-  a  man  to  be  liim- 
self." 

This  saying  o±"  Benjamin  Wliichcotc,  sometime  Provost 
of  King's  College,  Cambridge,  will,  I  am  sure,  fiud  full 
response  in  all  who  look  for  a  real  relation  between  reli- 
gion and  education.  //  is  tlic  chicfcst  of  nootl  fJ/})/f/s  for  a 
man  to  he  Ji'nnsrlf. 

{(()  It  is  one  side  of  an  eternal  truth.  The  personality 
of  man  is  real.  No  man  is  worthy  of  the  name  who  does 
not  respect  his  personalit3\  Ever}-  man  fails  to  be  what 
he  ought  to  be  who  is  not  educated  up  to  the  possibilities 
of  his  i^ersonality  —  to  be  himself;  his  real,  true,  best, 
and  fullest  self. 

{h)  But  there  is  another  side  to  the  eternal  truth,  and 
I  cannot  forbear  to  give  this  also  in  the  words  of  the 
same  old  English  scholar  and  churchman  : 

"He  that  taketh  himself  out  of  God's  hands  into  his 
own,  by-and-by  will  not  know  what  to  do  with  himself." 

The  personality  of  God  is  also  real.  Apart  from  God 
no  man  can  really  know  himself.  That,  therefore,  is  no 
true  education  which  does  not,  directly  or  indirectly, 
sooner  or  later,  establish  a  living  intercom'se  between  the 
personality  of  man  and  the  personality  of  God.  That  is  a 
defective  education  which,  tending  to  take  a  man  out  of 
God's  hand  into  his  own,  puts  him  on  the  destructive 
broad- way  of  not  knowing  what  to  do  with  himself.  For  if 
the  way  of  men  lead  not  finally  to  God,  who  is  the  supreme 
consciousness  of  the  universe,  then  man,  indeed,  shall  be 
hopelessly  lost  amid  the  unconscious  things  of  the  universe. 

The  relation,  then,  between  religion  and  education  is 
fundamental,  and  continuously  necessary.  In  a  real  sense, 
religion  and  education  are  one  and  the  same  thing;  for 
relifjion  is  the  education  of  the  full  nia>f,  the  educing,  draw- 
ing-out, and  leading  forth  of  all  the  human  faculties, 
forces,  and  feelings  up  to  their  unity  and  completion  in 
the  divine.    . 


ADDRESS.  117 

But  our  subject,  I  take  it,  is  not  transcendental,  but 
practical.  Religion  has  a  commonly  accepted  province, 
and  education  another.  Can  the  two  provinces  touch  with 
mutual  advantage  I  For  us,  religion  means  Christianity, 
and  education  stands  for  the  pursuit  and  acquisition  of 
modern  knowledge.  What  relation  do  these  bear  one  to 
the  other  I  Are  they  enemies  I  Should  they  not  be 
friends  and  co-workers  ? 

1.  The  extreme  partizans  of  secular  knowledge  insist 
that  religion  and  education  have  nothing  in  common  — 
that  education  is  scientific,  natural,  progressive ;  while 
religion  is  transcendental,  visionary,  traditional,  and  sta- 
tionary. Such  opinion  was  prominent  when  I  was  in 
college,  seventeen  years  ago.  We  young  men  were  quite 
sure  of  the  value  of  scientific  education,  but  we  were 
much  mixed  about  religion ;  we  had  a  keen  appreciation 
for  the  great  names  of  Darwin,  Spencer,  and  Huxley,  but 
we  had  little  or  no  vital  interest  in  that  Name  which  is 
above  even/  name.  The  opinion  still  extensively  holds. 
Many  students,  convinced  of  the  conclusions  of  modern 
science,  think  it  incompatible  with  their  allegiance  to 
knowledge  to  hold  still  to  the  Christian  religion.  The 
opinion  has  been  popularized  by  Mr.  Ingersoll,  and  to 
some  extent  by  the  novels  of  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward. 

But  there  are  signs  of  reaction  and  revolt.  Certainly 
the  awful  revelations  that  have  been  made  in  the  city  of 
London  concerning  the  compatibility  between  the  gross- 
est immorality  and  the  extreme  of  the  culture  of  secular- 
ism have  made  the  whole  civilized  world  sick  of  an 
education  divorced  from  religion.  Mr.  Benjamin  Kidd's 
"  Social  Evolution "  is  a  strong  mark  of  the  rebound 
from  the  dogmatism  of  secularism,  in  its  clear  recognition 
of  the  power  of  religious  belief  in  the  evolution  of  society. 
Mr.  Balfour's  "  Foundation  of  Belief  "  indicates  the  com- 
patibility of  political  leadership  with  clear  convictions 
of  Christian  philosophy.  Prof.  George  Romanes,  who 
8* 


118  UNION    COLLEGE. 

twonty  yoars  n^o  put  forth  a  "Candid  Examination  of 
Theism"  with  a  skei)tieal  conchision,  has  lately  died  in 
the  communion  of  the  Church  of  Enj^land,  having  left 
notes  upon  a  "  Candid  Examination  of  Religion,"  treated 
from  the  standpoint  of  fact,  whih;  the  words  of  James 
Anthony  Fi'oude  in  one  of  his  recent  works  are  reassui'- 
ing :  "  Science  grows  and  observers  are  adding  daily  to 
our  knowledge  of  the  material  univei'se,  Init  tliey  tell  us 
nothing  of  what  we  ))iost  want  to  knoir.'''' 

Now,  it  is  the  Christian  religion  which  tells  us  specific- 
ally, enthusiastically,  authoritatively  of  what  we  most 
want  to  Joioic.  Considering  the  precariousness  of  this 
earthly  life,  we  may  well  ask,  What  is  the  use  of  this  fev- 
erish pursuit  of  modern  knowledge,  with  its  prolonged 
and  complicated  process  of  education,  if  men  shall  ac- 
quire from  it  nothing  permanent,  nothing  to  outlast  his 
earthly  and  temporal  experience  ?  Yes,  it  is  religion, 
Christ's  religion,  which  tells  us  what  we  most  want  to 
know;  it  is  religion,  Christ's  religion,  which  unveils  and 
injects  eternity  into  the  midst  of  time;  it  is  religion, 
Christ's  religion,  which  gives  coherency  and  unfailing 
inspiration  to  the  j)ursuit  of  knowledge;  and,  therefore, 
this  religion  must  enter  into  education  and  continue 
with  education  throughout  the  whole  course  of  man  — 
religion  in  the  education  of  the  home,  religion  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  school,  religion  in  the  education  of  the 
college  and  univeivsity,  religion  in  the  education  of  the 
busy  after-life  in  the  world. 

2.  But  what  is  the  Christian  religion  ?  Here  is  con- 
fusion. Here  is  the  difficulty  of  bringing  religion  and 
education  together.  Christendom  is  divided  and  subdi- 
vided. The  chief  teachers  of  Christ's  religion  differ 
greatly  as  to  what  constitutes  its  essential  truth  and  effi- 
cacious methods.  They  are  jealous  of  their  resi)ective 
convictions.  Hence  the  Christian  religion  is  banished 
from  where,  next  after  the  home,  it  ought  to  be  taught  — 


ADDRESS.  119 

in  the  publio  seliools.  But  so  intense  is  the  division  of 
Christendom  that  both  seeulai'ists  and  rehgiouists  unite 
in  the  one  cry,  "  The  School  for  the  State  aud  the  Church 
for  God."  But  that  cry  is  not  consistent  with  the  claims 
of  the  Founder  of  the  Christian  relij>-ion.  He  came  to 
bear  witness  to  the  truth.  He  said,  "  All  power  is  given 
to  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  He  sent  the  Divine  Spirit 
to  guide  the  world  into  the  fullness  of  the  truth.  How, 
then,  shall  this  supreme  and  universal  Master  be  ex- 
cluded from  anything  that  conduces  to  the  welfare  of 
man  f  Shall  He  who  bade  men  to  love  God  not  only 
with  their  hearts  and  souls  but  with  their  })U)i(ls  as  well 
be  denied  His  rightful  place  in  the  realm  of  knowledge  — 
in  the  school,  the  college,  the  university?  Nay,  He  who 
is  supreme  ahorc  all  is,  indeed,  supreme  in  all. 

But,  alas  !  Christ  is  barred  from  his  universal  domain 
very  largely  because  of  the  unhappy  divisions  among  those 
who  bear  His  Name.  Nevertheless  even  here  are  signs 
of  reaction  and  revolt.  Across  the  lines  of  our  divisions 
there  has  been  raised  a  cry  which,  when  fully  caught  up 
by  the  voice  of  our  common  Christianity,  shall  level  to 
the  ground  the  walls  of  sectarianism.  That  cry  is,  "  Back, 
back  to  Christ !  The  School,  the  State,  the  Church — all 
for  God."  Certainly,  since  1886,  when  the  Church  of 
which  I  have  the  honor  to  be  a  minister  put  forth  its 
platform  of  church-unity,  there  has  been  a  remarkable 
interest  in  overcoming  the  divisions  of  Christendom. 
There  have  been  many  discussions  and  conferences, 
many  biddings  to  prayer,  and  many  sermons  preached. 
All  western  Christianity,  from  the  Pope  at  St.  Peter's 
to  the  humblest  missionary  worker  on  our  borders,  has 
felt  the  thrill  of  the  call  to  unity.  It  is  a  difficult  prob- 
lem—  one  that  will  not  soon  be  solved;  but  one  that 
must  be  solved  if  the  power  of  the  living  Christ  shall, 
indeed,  have  rightful  sway  over  the  opinions  and  preju- 
dices of  men ;  and  when  the  problem  of  church-unity  is 


120  UNION    COLLEGE. 

solved,  the  problem  of  religion  and  education  will  need 
no  solution. 

Then,  indeed,  shall  be  witnessed  the  restoration  of  that 
image  which  the  famous  Dean  Colet,  of  St.  Paul's,  set 
up  in  the  noble  Christian  school  he  founded  in  London 
in  1510.  It  was  an  image  of  the  Child  Jesus  standing 
over  the  master's  chair  in  the  attitude  of  teaching,  with 
the  motto,  '"''  Hear  ye  HimJ'^ 


ADDRESS 

BY  REV.  FREDERICK  Z.  ROOKER,  D.  D. 

Class  of  1884. 

REPRESENTING   THE   ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 

IT  would  be  a  sort  of  profanation  to  try  to  put  into 
words  the  feelings  with  which  I  have  come  here  to- 
day to  speak  to  you  and  with  you.  These  feelings  are 
too  profound  and  sacred  to  admit  of  any  description.  I 
have  been  invited  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  centennial 
celebration  of  my  alma  mater,  and  the  respect  and  love 
with  which  I  have  ever  regarded  her  have  to-day  min- 
gled with  them  a  kind  of  awe,  the  most  natural  evolution 
of  the  reverence  which  preceded  it,  when  I  consider  that 
she  is  now  venerable,  not  only  for  her  office  as  teacher  of 
men  and  maker  of  men's  characters,  but  also  because  her 
brow  is  circled  by  the  hundred  years  of  a  glorious  ex- 
istence. I  feel  honored  by  this  privilege  of  speaking  to- 
day; I  feel  glad  to  be  alive  to  participate  in  the  first 
centennial  of  Old  Union. 

You  have  asked  me  to  give  the  view  which  the  Catholic 
Charch  takes  of  the  subject  of  religion  and  education. 
It  is  not  a  difficult  thing  to  do ;  for  the  position  of  the 
Catholic  Church  in  that  matter  is  definitely  and  clearly 
formulated,  and  within  her  fold  there  is  no  chance  for  a 
diversity  of  opinions  about  it.  Her  teaching  in  this  re- 
gard is  the  logical  outcome  of  the  great  fundamental 


122  UNION    COLLEGE. 

principles  which  permeate  by  their  influence  her  whole 
system  —  principles  about  which,  or  about  the  evident 
and  necessary  deductions  from  which,  she  admits  no 
discussion. 

Let  me  then,  briefly,  expose  to  you  these  principles, 
and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  stand 
taken  by  the  Church  regarding  the  relation  of  religion  to 
education  is  but  a  necessary  conclusion.  In  the  first 
place,  the  Church  recognizes  as  existing  two  distinct  or- 
ders —  the  natural  order  and  the  supernatural  order ;  the 
order  of  nature  and  the  order  of  grace.  To  her  the  su- 
pernatnral  order  is  just  as  real,  and,  for  rational  crea- 
tures, far  more  important  than  the  natural.  In  her 
doctrine  there  is  no  place  for  the  theory  that  man  was 
created  to  work  out  as  best  he  may  a  natural  destiny,  or 
by  the  use  and  perfection  of  his  natural  faculties  to  pro- 
gress through  grades  of  evolution  to  a  better  and  fuller 
knowledge  of  himself  and  the  universe,  and  consequently 
to  a  better  and  fuller  existence  as  a  more  perfected  and 
highly  developed  element  of  that  universe. 

No,  the  Catholic  Church  sees  in  man  a  creature  made  for 
one  end  only,  and  that  end  a  supernatural  one.  At  the 
moment  of  his  creation  he  was  placed  in  a  supernatural 
state,  and  to  that  state  was  he  restored  by  the  work  of 
the  redemption.  The  one  and  only  perfection  to  which 
he  can  attain  is  a  perfection  in,  and  of,  the  supernatural 
order.  If  he  does  not  attain  that  he  must  forever  remain 
unperfected.  Do  what  he  will  with  his  natural  faculties, 
develop  them  as  he  may  in  the  natural  order  and  by  nat- 
ural means,  there  is  nothing  for  him  to  hope  for.  You 
can  see,  then,  how  all-important  it  is  for  him  to  get  into 
this  supernatural  order,  and  work  and  live  and  develop 
in  it.  Unless  he  does  so,  it  were  better  for  him  never  to 
have  been  born. 

Now,  this  supernatural  order  is  a  thing  whose  very  ex- 
istence is  absolutely  hidden  from  the  natural  knowledge 


ADDRESS.  123 

of  man.  By  his  natural  faculties  alone  he  never  could 
even  come  to  know  that  there  is  such  a  thing,  much  less 
could  he  know  anything  about  its  details.  And  yet  this 
knowledge  is  of  supreme  importance  to  liim.  ^Vlience, 
then,  is  it  to  come  t  Only  from  tlie  Author  of  both  the 
supernatm-al  and  the  natural.  Only  the  voice  of  God 
speaking  directly  to  man  could  make  known  those  things 
which  are  of  first  and  highest  concern  to  him.  The  se- 
crets thus  manifested  constitute  the  deposit  of  revealed 
truth,  and  the  knowledge  and  understanding  of  them  are 
the  most  necessary  things  in  the  life  of  man.  To  commu- 
nicate this  knowledge,  and  to  perfect  this  understanding, 
is  the  work  of  religion  and  of  the  teachers  of  religion. 
These  considerations  are  enough  for  our  present  purposes. 
The  conclusions  which  naturally  flow  from  them  will  give 
a  very  accurate  and  sufficiently  detailed  explanation  of 
the  position  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  this  matter. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  what  is  education  I  It  is  the 
development  of  man  by  the  imparting  of  knowledge  to 
his  intellect  and  by  the  training  of  his  rational  faculties 
so  that  they  are  made  capable  of  doing  the  best  that  is  in 
them.  If  the  best  that  is  in  the  rational  faculties  of  man. 
were  confined  to  the  natural  order,  then  education  would 
be  complete  and  perfect  when  it  should  train  those  facul- 
ties up  to  their  highest  natural  capacity.  Then  the  pur- 
est and  best  and  profoundest  of  philosophers  would 
be  to  us  examples  of  the  most  perfect  results  attainable 
by  education. 

Then  education  would  consist  in  leading  our  youth  by 
the  paths  of  naturally  acquired  knowledge  to  the  highest 
summit  of  natural  thought.  It  would  mean  to  help  youth 
to  know  as  many  as  possible  of  the  undisputed  facts  dis- 
covered by  human  investigation,  and  from  these  facts  to 
formulate  the  highest  and  best  abstractions.  It  would  be 
performing  its  whole  duty  when  it  should  train  up  men 
to  walk  in  the  paths  of  moral  righteousness,  to  think 


124  UNION    COLLEGE. 

high  thoughts  and  do  noble  actions,  to  be  animated,  in 
all  things  by  a  spirit  of  justice  and  truth,  to  govern  their 
lives  by  prudence,  to  enjoy  the  world's  goods  with  tem- 
perance, and  bear  the  world's  ills  with  fortitude ;  when  it 
should  make  men  feel  that  they  are  indeed  men  and  not 
beasts,  and  that  they  are  all  men  and,  as  men,  brothers. 
But  the  best  that  is  in  the  rational  faculties  is  not  re- 
stricted by  nature.  It  is  true  that  nature  limits  their 
own  independent  activities;  but  it  does  not  limit  their 
capacity  for  things  higher  than  nature,  provided  they  be 
helped  by  a  corresponding  power. 

While  God  has  not  put  into  our  nature  the  power  of 
doing  things  above  its  own  requirements.  He  has  made 
it  capable  of  receiving  supernatural  assistance.  He  has 
established  for  man  a  supernatural  end;  and  though 
He  has  not  given  him  the  power  of  reaching  that  end  by 
his  own  unaided  exertions.  He  has  made  him  so  that, 
properly  aided,  he  himself  may  make  the  necessary  su- 
pernatural progress. 

Since,  then,  it  is  the  work  of  education  to  develop  the 
very  best  that  is  in  man,  and  since  the  very  best  that  is 
in  him  goes  on  above  and  beyond  the  natural,  a  develop- 
ment which  takes  no  account  of  the  supernatural  cannot 
be  truly  called  the  education  of  a  man.  True  education 
must  be  permeated  by,  and  must  tend  to,  the  supernat- 
ural, for  its  one  aim  must  be  to  lead  man  to  his  true  end. 
But  this  is  the  same  as  to  say  that  true  education  must 
be  permeated  by  revealed  religion,  for  only  in  revealed 
religion  do  we  find  any  knowledge  of  the  supernatural  or 
of  its  workings  and  requirements. 

This,  then,  is  and  always  has  been  and  always  will  be 
the  position  of  the  Catholic  Church.  On  this  question 
she  cannot  compromise.  The  communication  of  truths 
without  reference  to  revealed  religion  may  be  instruction, 
but  it  can  never  be  education;  and  instruction  is  not 
enough  for  man.     The  Church  can   never  recognize  as 


ADDRESS.  125 

perfect  a  system  of  t<^aoliiiig  which  pi-esciiids  from  the 
existence  of  revealed  religion.  It  may  be  that  circum- 
stances make  it  impossible  to  have  the  best  aiid  most 
perfect,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  she  is  therefore  con- 
tent with  what  she  holds  to  be  imperfect. 

Instruction  in  profane  knowledge  is  necessary,  and  if 
it  cannot  be  had  except  it  be  taken  apart  from  any  re- 
ligious training,  it  will  be  so  received,  and  everj^  effort 
will  be  made  to  supply  the  deficiency  in  other  ways. 
But  the  Catholic  Church  will  never  cease  to  long  for,  nor 
to  work  for,  a  better  condition  of  things.  If  she  did  she 
would  be  false  to  herself  and  to  the  i3rinciples  on  which 
she  is  founded,  and  from  which  she  draws  her  vitality. 
With  her,  revealed  religion  is  the  first  and  last  necessity 
of  life.  Unless  it  entered  into  every  phase  of  the  activ- 
ity of  her  subjects,  she  could  not  exist.  She  would, 
therefore,  be  inconsistent  did  she  not  insist  that  it  should 
have  the  first  and  middle  and  last  place  in  the  education 
of  the  young. 

So  much,  then,  for  the  relation  to  education  of  the  su- 
pernatural regarded  objectively.  But  there  remains  for 
a  full  explanation  of  the  Church's  position  the  considera- 
tion of  the  supernatural  in  its  subjective  aspect.  It  does 
not  suffice  to  set  before  the  young  the  great  truths  of  the 
supernatural  order.  These  truths  cannot,  indeed,  be 
known  unless  they  are  placed  before  our  minds  by  a 
competent  authority ;  but  even  when  placed  before  us 
they  cannot  be  taken  into  our  intellects  and  assimilated 
by  them,  and  made  the  ruling  principles  of  our  lives  un- 
less our  wills  are  gently  molded  to  their  acceptance. 

There  is  needed  not  only  the  manifestation  of  infinite 
wisdom,  but  the  action  of  infinite  grace ;  and,  in  the  ordi- 
nary disposition  of  Providence,  this  all-powerful  yet  all- 
gentle  moving  of  the  will  is  accomplished  only  when  by 
careful  training  the  will  has  been  disposed  to  receive  it. 
Here,  then,  is  another,  and  perhaps  the  greater,  office  of 


126  UNION    COLLEGE. 

education — the  training  of  the  will  to  make  it  submissive 
to  the  operation  of  grace.  This  training  can  be  accom- 
plished only  with  the  aid  of  a  practical,  tangible  religion. 
The  absolute  necessity  of  these  two  elements  in  education 
the  Church  ever  insists  on,  and  she  claims  that  just  as 
man  has  no  natural  but  only  a  supernatural  end,  so  he 
can  have  no  real  natural  but  only  a  supernatural  moral- 
ity, since  morality  is  nothing  but  a  means  to  the  end. 
She  claims  that  her  position  is  supported  by  the  history 
of  all  nations.  The  principles  and  precepts  of  what  is 
called  natural  morality  have  been  investigated  and 
known  to  perfection  for  centuries.  The  practical  fruit  of 
this  investigation  has  always  been  summed  up  in  the 
almost  despairing  cry,  "  Video  meliora  prohoque,  sed  dete- 
riora  sequorP 

The  Catholic  Church  finds  a  great  and  a  natural  satis- 
faction in  watching  the  movement  of  thoughtful  minds 
toward  her  position  on  this  question.  An  organization 
made  up  of  human  subjects  cannot  divest  itself  of  hu- 
manity so  far  as  not  to  enjoy  saying  "I  told  you  so," 
when  a  chance  offers.  The  Church,  confident  of  her  posi- 
tion, stands  firm  and  awaits  the  developments  of  time, 
and  as  she  sees  one  or  another  of  her  teachings  gaining 
accej)tance  outside  her  fold,  she  feels  encouraged  to  go 
on  hoping  for  that  union  of  minds  and  hearts  for  which 
she  has  longed  for  centuries  and  for  which  she  will  long 
while  she  continues  to  exist. 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMON 

BY  THE  BT.  REV.  WM.  CROSWELL  DOANE,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Bishop  of  Albany. 

But  in  a  great  house  there  are  not  only  vessels  of  gold  and  of  silver,  but  also 
of  wood  and  of  earth  ;  and  some  to  honour  and  some  to  dishonour. 

If  a  man  therefore  purge  himself  from  these,  he  shall  be  a  vessel  unto  honour, 
sanctified,  and  meet  for  the  master's  use,  and  prepared  unto  every  good 
work.  —2  Timothy,  ii,  20,  21. 

IT  is  a  pleasant  thought  to  me  that  everywhere  in  the 
Church  of  which  I  am  a  minister,  this  evening,  this 
portion  of  Holy  Scripture  is  read  in  the  Even-song  serv- 
ice, sending  its  searching  words  into  the  listening  ears  of 
thousands ;  to  be  turned  into  some  life  influence  in  the 
hearts  of  men ;  and  to  pass,  by  the  natural  tendency  of 
Christian  thought  to  Christian  prayer,  into  an  earnest 
resolve,  or  a  still  more  earnest  supplication,  by  which  the 
chai'acter  of  a  young  man  may  be  formed.  And  so,  about 
us  here  to-night,  concerned  with  the  question  of  charac- 
ter-forming in  you  young  men  of  Union,  are  gathered 
thoughts  and  prayers  and  lessons  most  congenial  to  this 
last  religions  service,  for  some  of  you,  of  your  under- 
gi'aduate  lives.  For  this  whole  chapter  is  the  outpouring 
of  an  old  man's  earnestness,  and  an  old  man's  experience, 
to  a  young  man  who  is  as  his  son.  It  appeals,  first  of 
all,  to  that  inherent  element  of  youth  and  manhood  — 
namely,  strength,  which  is  the  young  man's  glory.  It 
recognizes   strength   as   something   to   be   honored   and 


128  UNION    COLLEGE. 

held  iu  high  esteem,  even  as  St.  John  wrote  "  unto  j^oung 
men  because  they  were  strong."  It  asks  for  this  vigour 
of  young  manhood,  that  it  may  be  "  empowered  (sv5ova[j.orj) 
with  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  Because  the  trend 
and  tendency  of  young  strength  is  to  self-confidence  and 
presumption  ;  and,  strong  as  youth  is,  and  young  as  your 
strength  is,  it  is  not  sufficient  for  the  burthens  or  the 
battles  or  the  duties  of  life.  It  makes  of  every  man  a 
teacher  and  trustee  for  others,  of  all  that  he  has  heard 
and  learned;  and  sends  you  out,  not  to  the  idle  indul- 
gence of  a  selfish  scholarship,  but  to  hold  up,  and  to  hand 
on  whatever  light  of  truth  you  have  gained  here.  It  puts 
before  you  the  conflict  of  life,  in  which  you  are  enlisted 
for  the  truth  and  the  right,  "  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ," 
and  lays  the  laws  down  by  which  the  fight  is  to  be  fought. 
"  Enduring  hardness  " ;  not  ease  and  indolence  and  sham 
fights  and  fine  uniforms  and  parades,  playing  with  the 
weapons  that  are  given  you  for  work;  but  what  the 
heathen  poet  taught  of  preparation  for  their  games, — 
"  multa  tulit  fecitque  puer  sudavit  et  alsit," — courage,  en- 
durance, simple  living,  abstinence,  suffering,  self-mastery. 
It  bids  you  keep  yourselves  clear  and  unclouded  by  the 
blandishments  and  temptations  of  mere  earthly  things, 
entanglements  with  the  affairs  of  this  life,  its  pleasures, 
its  seductions,  its  near  horizons  of  aim,  its  narrow  limita- 
tions of  effort ;  mere  money-getting,  mere  place-hunting, 
mere  selfish  satisfaction  of  the  senses.  It  forbids,  as  sure 
to  lose  even  the  earthly  crown  of  a  success  that  satisfies^ 
all  the  mean  tricks  and  subterfuges,  the  quibbles  with 
truth,  the  indifference  to  honour,  the  advantages  taken, 
the  resorts  to  double-dealing,  by  which  men  "  strive  un- 
lawfully." It  stands  you  outdoors,  in  the  full  light  of 
Heaven's  highest  noon,  with  God's  eye  on  you,  in  the 
whole  enterprise  and  undertaking  of  your  life,  each  to  be 
"  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed."  It  gives 
you  the  two  tests  by  which  alone  all  character  is  tried, 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMON.  129 

whether  it  rest  or  not  on  tlie  foundation  of  God  ;  the  out- 
ward and  visible  sign  of  a  confession  of  the  Master,  by 
whieh  "the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His," «y^<'/ tlie  in- 
wai'd  and  spiritual  grace,  woi'king  deep  down  into  the 
motives  and  aims  and  intentions  of  life,  "  Let  every  one 
that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  from  inicjuity." 
I  know,  of  course,  that  it  is  the  letter  of  an  Apostle  to  a 
Bishop,  a  pastoral  letter  to  one  whom  he  had  set  in  high 
place,  in  the  Church  of  the  Ephesians.  But  it  is  resonant 
and  redolent  with  just  what  is,  and  ought  to  be,  in  my 
heart  to-night,  the  urgency  and  entreaty  of  an  old  man  to 
young  men,  "  Thou,  therefore,  my  son,  be  strong." 

The  portion  of  this  letter  to  which  I  especially  address 
myself  to-night,  my  friends,  contains  great  princii3les  of 
practical  value  for  the  life  on  which  you  are  setting  forth, 
and  principles  which  need  some  application  and  some 
interpretation  for  theii'  full  understanding. 

The  picture  is  of  the  palace  of  the  Great  King,  in  which 
are  gathered  the  various  vessels  for  His  use.  The  great 
House  is  the  Church,  in  the  first  and  finest  sense.  And, 
in  the  larger  and  wider  range  of  its  inclusion,  it  is  the 
world ;  all  His,  the  Master's,  in  which  He  is ;  and  every 
man  in  it,  and  every  thing  in  it.  His,  for  use.  How  great 
the  House  is,  looked  at  any  way.  How  little  in  compari- 
son the  largest,  costliest  vessel  of  them  all.  In  it  He 
rules.  Who  is  present,  not  in  the  sense  of  the  old  pan- 
theism—  which  was  more  reverent  and  more  religious 
than  some  things  that  pass  for  Christianity  now  —  but 
present  in  a  reality  of  influence,  of  interference  if  you 
will,  which  makes  every  act  and  every  instant  full  of 
Him  —  "immanent"  the  modern  philosophic  word  is. 
The  old  expression  told  it  of  the  universe,  "Heaven  and 
earth  are  full  of  Thy  glory."  "If  I  climb  up  to  Heaven 
Thou  art  there,  if  I  go  down  to  Hell  Thou  art  there  also ; 
if  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  remain  in  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  also  Thy  hand 
9 


130  UNION    COLLEGE. 

shall  lead  me,  and  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me."  And, 
for  the  Church,  which  is  in  the  world,  the  Master's 
promise  fills  it  with  His  presence,  instant,  immediate,  in- 
tense, universal :  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world."  And  in  this  great  House  in  which 
He  is,  there  are  these  various  vessels  (axs-rrj).  It  is  a  word 
used  constantly  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures  to  de- 
scribe sometimes  men,  and,  sometimes,  the  bodies  of  men ; 
and  it  is  used  here  in  its  larger  sense,  the  whole  man. 
What  are  we  set  to  learn  here,  every  man  of  us,  about 
our  place  and  portion,  in  this  great  House  of  God,  the 
World  ?  Three  things  —  Diversity  of  character ;  distinc- 
tion of  use;  devotion  of  service;  and,  after  these,  an 
indiscriminate  usefulness  and  honour  to  each  in  his  own 
place. 

Diversity  of  character;  "gold  and  silver  and  wood  and 
earth."  Oh,  what  a  wealth  of  wisdom,  and  what  a  world 
of  truth  are  here.  Half  the  wretchedness  and  unrest  of 
life  would  be  done  quite  away  with  by  the  acceptance 
of  this  first  thought.  It  is  not  easy  always  to  accept,  or 
pleasant  to  believe.  But  the  vain  strifes  of  vaulting  am- 
bition, the  senseless  swellings  after  unattainable  ends,  the 
feeble  apings  and  imitations  of  other  people  whom  we 
can  never  resemble,  and  the  wretched  failures  of  so  many 
lives,  might  all  be  avoided  if  only  men  would  learn  this 
truth,  that  they  are  made  of  various  stuffs  and  different 
materials;  some  rare  and  rich,  some  poor  and  homely. 
And  life  could  not  be,  without  these  various  and  differing 
vessels  to  carry  on  its  work.  It  is  easy  for  some  impa- 
tient, discontented  individual  to  fault  the  Maker  and  the 
Master  that,  being  clay,  he  was  not  gold,  or,  being  wood, 
he  was  not  silver.  But  the  discontent  comes  from  wish- 
ing to  be  something  other  than  he  is.  And  the  content 
would  be  if  each  would  realize  three  things,  the  infinite 
wisdom  of  his  Maker;  the  responsibility  of  life  relative  to 
the  capacity  of  the  liver ;  and  the  need  of  just  such  ser- 


BACCALAUREATE   SERMON.  131 

vice  as  each  can  render  to  accomplish  all  God's  will.  It 
seems  to  nio  that  jnst  here  lie  the  use  and  value  of  your 
trainini;-  time ;  to  have  found  out  the  stuff  you  are  made 
of.  It  is  idle  folly  to  imagine  that  only  common  things 
can  be  made  out  of  common  stuffs.  That  cheapest  and 
commonest  of  all  materials,  earth,  in  the  hands  of  Palissy 
the  potter,  made  vessels  of  beauty  that  equal  Cellini's 
work  in  gold;  and  the  Sacrament-Haus,  in  the  Dom- 
kirche  at  Nuremberg,  with  its  top  tendril  bent  over  lest 
it  should  strike  the  roof,  is  rival  to  the  rarest  Venetian 
filigree  of  silver.  Learn,  and  lay  well  to  heart,  the  equal 
value,  for  their  own  peculiar  uses,  of  all  created  sub- 
stances. It  is  this  longing  after  the  unattainable  that 
wastes  life  out  with  fevers  of  discontent. 

To  make  the  most  of  one's  own  self,  and  not  to  be 
some  one  else,  should  be  the  intelligent  desire  of  every 
sensible  man.  And  to  be  excellent  in  auyili'mg,  to  make 
good  machinery,  to  plant  a  garden  well  or  sow  a  field,  to 
breed  good  horses  or  to  manufacture  honest  goods,  is  to 
fill  out  one's  place  in  life  as  really  and  as  valuably  as 
to  be  poet,  practitioner  of  law  or  medicine,  inventor, 
statesman,  editor,  philosopher,  or  priest. 

And  the  next  lesson  is  of  distinction  of  use.  There  is 
a  vulgarity  in  the  misinterpretation  of  these  words,  which 
is  well-nigh  insufferable.  There  is  no  intimation  here 
that  "  some  to  honour  and  some  to  dishonour "  means 
that  gold  and  silver  vessels  are  for  honourable  things,  and 
wooden  and  earthen  vessels  for  dishonourable  things.  The 
honour  or  dishonour  lies,  iwt  in  the  material  of  which  the 
vessel  is  made.  There  is  no  commonest  thing  which  is 
not  "  to  honour,"  if  it  be  honourably  used.  And  there  is 
no  such  depth  of  dishonour  conceivable  as  the  degrada- 
tion, to  base  uses,  of  the  finer,  rarer  vessels  of  silver  and 
gold. 

How  I  wish  I  could  press  this  home.  I  take  it,  and 
you  take  it,  that  the  man  of  intellectual  ability,  of  spiri- 


132  UNION    COLLEGE. 

tual  power,  is  the  most  precious  vessel  of  all.  Is  he 
therefore,  by  the  mere  possession  of  these  gifts,  a  "vessel 
unto  honour"!  And  I  say  a  thousand  times.  No!  To 
prostitute  intellect  till  it  ministers  only  to  the  dissemina- 
tion of  doubts  and  the  denial  of  God ;  or  to  pervert  the 
subtle  influence  of  spiritual  power  till  it  panders  to  pas- 
sion or  sin,  dishonours  the  noblest  vessel  in  the  great 
House  of  God.  The  other  lesson,  the  honourableness  of 
commonest  things,  is  taught  us  at  every  turn.  There  is 
the  slow,  dull  boy,  most  ordinary  in  capacity,  whose  plod- 
-ding  patience,  dully  persisting  in  the  pursuit  of  problems 
caught  in  an  instant  by  the  superficial  facileness  of  a 
quicker  brain,  has  seized,  and  holds  what  he  has  gained, 
with  a  grasp  of  retentiveness,  which  makes  him  really  a 
scholar;  where  the  other  has  only  a  half -forgotten  smat- 
tering of  memorized  words.  And  everywhere  in  life 
to-day  there  are  the  steady,  useful,  trustworthy  men,  not 
smart  enough  to  run  the  risks  and  take  the  ventures 
which  land  their  quicker  fellows  in  degradation  and  dis- 
honesty ;  the  men  whose  speech  is  slow,  but  whose  word 
is  as  good  as  their  bond,  on  whom  men  lean  for  counsel 
in  doubtful  times,  and  for  confidence  in  days  of  disaster 
—  "  vessels  of  wood  and  earth  "  to  honour. 

And  the  next  lesson  is  of  devotion  of  service  —  "  sanc- 
tified and  meet  for  the  Master's  use."  Life  lies  open  and 
out  before  you  from  to-day.  There  is  no  choice  of  what 
is  called  independence,  because  that  means,  really,  selfish- 
ness and  self-will.  In  the  veritable  mesh  and  network  of 
life,  the  relation  of  men  to  one  another  is  so  close  and 
vital  that  no  man  liveth  or  dieth  to  himself.  Robinson 
Crusoe,  even,  had  his  man  Friday.  And  as  there  is  of 
necessity  interdependence  among  men,  so  there  must  be 
dependence  upon  some  stronger  power  and  higher  will. 
Offero,  till  he  becomes  Christopher,  will  be  the  servant  of 
Satan.  The  choice  is  not  ivJietlier,  but  "  wJiom  will  ye 
serve."    It  is  a  choice  that  cannot  be  made  too  soon. 


BACCALAUKEATE   SERMON.  W>] 

"  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  S(^rvo."  Yon  know 
that  the  other  side  of  man's  choice  is  God's  call.  Yon  know 
that  (rod's  call  is  yonv  "  callini>-,"  yonr  vocation,  yonr  place 
and  lot  of  work  in  life.  And  yon  will  have  to  learn  that 
that  call  comes  in  various  ways,  and  to  very  varying  oc- 
cupations. It  will  be  largely  influenced  by  your  capacit}^, 
"  gold,  silver,  wood,  earth."  For  God  never  puts  the  ves- 
sels in  His  House  to  any  unsuitable  use. 

And  while  I  would  fain  believe  that  some  of  you,  at 
least,  may  have,  and  hear,  ;uid  heed  the  call  to  the  sacred 
ministry,  I  beg  you  to  realize  that  this  is  not  the  only 
meaning  of  "  the  Master's  use."  For  He  has  use  for,  and 
need  of,  men  who  shall  serve  Him  in  every  walk  and  way 
of  life.  What  is  meant  is  that  every  man  shall  so  do  his 
woi'k,  in  whatever  state  of  life  God  calls  him  to  work  in, 
from  time  to  time,  as  to  be  serving  his  Master  in  that 
work.  Look  out  to-day  upon  the  world.  You  are  the 
young  men  of  the  coming  generation  of  Americans,  to  be 
citizens,  to  hold  public  office,  to  guide  public  opinion,  to 
minister  public  or  private  trusts,  to  be  the  bankers,  the 
tradesmen,  the  lawyers,  the  physicians,  the  clergymen,  the 
manufacturers,  the  law-makers,  the  politicians  of  the  time. 
You  are  to  fill  these  places,  and  to  act  out  these  parts, 
so  that  the  Master  can  use  you  for  His  great  ends. 

The  rottenness  in  public  life  and  private  affairs,  which 
shocks  us  and  threatens  us  to-day,  is  due  to  the  common 
forgetfulness  of  this  fundamental  truth ;  and  there  is 
danger  that  it  will  spread  till  it  corrupt  the  body  politic. 
There  seems  no  watchfulness  sharp  enough  in  trustees 
and  directors  to  detect  the  step-by-step  stealing  (called  by 
a  euphemism  borrowing),  whose  end  is  dishonesty  and 
dishonour ;  and  often  after  these,  the  disgraceful  escape  of 
consequences,  by  the  contemptible  cowardice  of  suicide. 
And  the  reason  is  not  far  to  find.  The  clerk  or  the  cash- 
ier is  imitating  his  directors  or  trustees.  Eaten  up  with 
the  sin  of  covetousness,  they  are  committing  the  crime  — 
9* 


134  UNION    COLLEGE. 

which  gambling  is  —  of  money-making  by  the  effort, 
through  reckless  risks,  to  get  something  ivitli  no  equivalent 
given.  I  have  no  stone  to  cast  against  the  great  body  of 
the  brokers  of  the  world.  There  are  illustrious  examples, 
I  know,  among  them  of  fidelity  to  obligations  unwritten 
and  unsigned,  which  all  of  us  might  learn  to  imitate. 
There  are  among  them  men  who,  within  our  recent  recol- 
lection, have  saved  the  credit  of  the  country  from  disaster 
and  disgrace.  The  essential  element  in  commerce,  of 
buying  low  to  sell  at  an  advance,  if  it  be  right  in  land 
and  sugar,  cannot  be  wrong  in  stocks  and  bonds.  But 
the  lawless  and  illegitimate  business  which  skulks  behind 
slang  names  in  "the  Street,"  of  buying  augthii/g  with 
nothing,  of  promises  without  the  means  to  pay,  of  rising 
to  success  on  another's  wreck  or  ruin,  wrought  out  "  with 
weapons  "  that  are  not  even  carnal,  but  hrutal,  the  tossing 
of  sharp  horns,  the  crushing  with  cruel  claws ;  these  are 
among  the  crying  crimes  of  capital  to-day.  The  rich 
master  wins  his  millions,  and  whets  the  appetite  of  his 
poor  clerk  to  make  his  smaller,  sinful  ventures ;  or  he 
loses  his  millions,  makes  good  the  loss,  and  does  not  mind 
it.  But  the  weak  follower  has  no  resource  behind.  The 
venture  fails.  His  little  fortune  is  wi'ecked,  and  then  the 
sequel  follows,  in  fast  succeeding  steps ;  false  entries,  de- 
tection, flight,  a  skulking  life,  an  ignominious  death.  And 
the  chief  blame  rests  on  the  protected  and  undetected 
sinner  who  led  him  astray.  There  is  no  cure  for  this  but 
in  the  consciousness  that  every  vessel  must  be  sanctified, 
purged  from  all  these  evil  lusts,  meet  for  the  Master's  use, 
and  living  as  though  used  by  Him,  for  the  high  ends  of 
honesty  and  honour,  and  faithfulness  to  trust. 

Turn  from  this,  up  or  down,  as  you  may  think  it,  into 
the  political  field,  which  has  great  atti'activeness  in  a 
country  like  ours,  where  the  rewards  of  highest  place 
have  been  won,  and  can  be,  from  the  lowest  start.  We 
have  high-sounding  sentences  like  "  public  office  is  a  pub- 


BACCALAUREATE   SERMON.  135 

lie  trust."  We  have  great  schemes  of  civil  service  and 
reform.  But  very  few  live  up  to  the  sentences,  or  are 
governed  by  the  schemes.  The  temptations  are  great;  to 
be  popular,  to  influence  votes,  to  manage  men,  to  con- 
trol great  measures,  to  advance  one's  own  interest,  to  get 
tlie  patronage  of  great  corporations,  to  have  the  power  of 
much  patronage  to  distribute,  to  stand  well  with  the  party 
for  party  ends  and  gains ;  all  these,  this  side  of  the  coarse, 
vulgar,  criminal,  traceahle  taking  of  a  money  bribe,  seduce 
the  public  man  from  the  strict  integrity  of  his  service. 
He  has  forgotten  the  Master  for  whose  service  he  is  set 
apart,  to  lift  society,  to  advance  the  8tate,  to  get  good 
government,  to  use  the  public  money  with  a  liberal  econ- 
omy, to  have  clean  streets,  good  roads,  pure  water;  to 
give  employment  with  honest  wages  to  the  men  who  la- 
bom*  with  their  hands ;  to  prevent  vice,  to  manage,  gen- 
erously and  wisely,  public  charities,  to  raise  the  standards 
of  education. 

There  are  no  human  panaceas,  I  know,  to  cure  the  po- 
litical corruption  which  so  runs  riot  in  our  State  as  to 
recall  the  sickening  senility  of  the  decayed  governments 
of  the  older  world.  But  this  consciousness  of  responsi- 
bility to  God,  of  service  to  the  Divine  Master,  of  being 
here  in  this  world  to  be  used  by  Him  and  for  His  great 
and  gracious  ends,  has  made  the  patriots, and  statesmen 
of  the  Hebrew  people,  of  the  Gentile  nations,  of  all  ages 
and  races  of  men ;  made  Moses  the  Law-giver,  and  Daniel 
the  Ruler,  and  Aristides  the  Just,  and  xVlfred  the  Great,  and 
Louis  the  King,  and  William  the  Emperor,  and  Washing- 
ton the  President,  and  Lincoln  the  Liberator.  And  it  has 
power  now  to-day  to  convert  our  politicians  into  states- 
men, and  to  make  each  one  of  you  a  vessel  of  use  and 
honom". 

And  here  discrhn'mation  ends.  Diversity  of  character 
and  distinction  of  use  are  inherent  and  essential  elements 
of  service  and  of  life.     There  must  be  differences  in  the 


136  UNION    COLLEGE. 

natures  and  temperaments  of  men  to  make  a  world ;  as 
there  must  be  in  the  materials  of  which  the  world  is 
made.  For  men  cannot  clothe  themselves  with  wood,  nor 
build  their  houses  with  spun  silk,  nor  plow  their  fields 
with  gold,  nor  clear  their  forests  with  axes  of  silver.  And 
for  the  parts  we  have  to  play  in  life  there  must  be  the 
men  of  muscle  and  the  men  of  nerve,  the  men  of  thought 
and  the  men  of  action,  the  poet  and  the  man  of  affairs, 
the  student  and  the  soldier,  the  dreamer  and  the  doer,  the 
inventor  and  the  mechanic,  the  maker  and  the  spender  of 
wealth. 

And  the  complement  of  all  this  is  distribution  of  use ; 
"  propria  quae  singulis^''''  we  might  read  the  old  proverb. 
Because  for  the  different  uses  which  the  Master  has  for 
men.  He  must  have  different  sorts  of  men.  Because  the 
Master  has  made  the  vessels  of  His  great  House  of  differ- 
ent stuffs,  He  must  have,  for  each.  His  appropriate  use. 

And  the  lesson  of  success  in  life  is  simply  the  learning 
of  fitness.  What  am  I  suited  to  do  f  It  is  a  long,  deep 
subject,  this,  with  many  sides.  Aimlessness  ends  in  use- 
lessness.  The  Chinese-shoe  idea,  of  a  father  forcing  his 
son  against  all  inclinations  and  all  indications,  ends  in 
wretchedness  and  failure.  The  ivilful  struggle  against 
surrounding  suggestions  of  circumstance  and  opportunity 
breaks  the  bir,d's  wing  against  the  cage  bars,  and  the 
man's  heart  against  the  barriers  of  impossibility.  The 
ivill-less  surrender  of  easy-going  indolence  to  difficulties 
which  were  meant  to  stimulate  to  effort,  cumbers  the 
world  with  what  we  call  tramps  when  they  are  dirty,  and 
gentlemen  of  elegant  leisure  when  the  linen  is  clean.  It 
is  not  easy,  always,  to  find  one's  use.  It  is  found  not  sel- 
dom after  much  experience  and  many  mistakes.  And  no 
one  man  can  tell  it  absolutely  for  another.  But,  honestly 
sought  for,  it  will  be  certainly  found. 

And  here,  I  say  again,  discrimination  ends.  For  useful- 
ness and  for  honour,  for  the  use  the  Master  will  make  of 


BACCALAUKEATE   SERMON.  187 

US,  and  for  tho  honour  lie  will  give  us,  there  is  abso- 
lutely no  ditt'erence  between  gold  and  wood,  between  sil- 
ver and  oavth. ;  and  no  distinction  between  the  positions 
that  rank  highest  in  the  world's  eye,  and  the  places  which 
are  so  lowly  that  the  world  does  not  see  them  at  all, 
since  for  every  faithful  servant,  whose  work  is  well  done, 
there  is  waiting  "  the  joy  of  His  Lord  " ;  the  joy  that  was 
in  the  heart  of  the  Master,  when,  from  the  sublime  height 
of  the  Cross,  He  looked  back  upon  the  pathway  of  His 
earthly  life,  and  saw,  step  by  step,  and  detail  after  detail, 
(he  will  of  Grod  for  Him,  finished  and  fulfilled ;  this,  and 
besides  this,  the  joy,  into  which  He  entered,  of  the  Son 
"  in  Whom  the  Father  is  well  pleased." 

Brothers  and  friends,  old  and  new  sons  of  this  old 
mother,  rejoicing  to-day  in  her  children  as  her  jewels ;  I 
have  come  heartily  to  render  this  small  service  as  a  debt 
of  love  to  Union  University.  Fifty  years  ago  I  came  here 
as  a  boy  with  my  belov^ed  father,  to  keep  the  semi-centen- 
nial of  this  college.  It  was  a  day  of  strong  impressions 
to  me,  a  boy  of  twelve.  The  venerable  president,  upon 
whose  heart  was  written  the  name  of  Union  ;  the  Bishop 
of  Pennsylvania  who  gave  one  son  to  the  presidency  and 
another  to  be  the  Bishop  of  New  York ;  and  my  father, 
the  Bishop  of  New  Jersey ;  these  men  rise  up  before  me. 
And  they  are  noble  illustrations  of  the  lesson  I  have  tried 
to  leave  with  you  to-night ;  "  vessels  of  honour,"  every 
one.  I  go  behind  that  day  with  its  rich  memories,  to 
recall  the  earlier  years  of  my  father's  student  life  here 
when  with  a  love  of  study  and  a  thirst  for  knowledge 
which  overleaped  the  barriers  of  restricted  means  he 
woi'ked  with  his  might  till  he  attained  his  end,  an  educa- 
tion which  should  fit  him  "  for  the  Master's  use,"  and  be- 
fore and  after  these,  are  the  great  names  and  many,  "  of 
whom  the  time  would  fail  me  to  tell,"  on  our  alumni 
honom'  roll. 

As  I  stand  here  to-night  recalling  the  past  with  its  il- 


138  UNION    COLLEGE. 

lustrious  instances,  and  rejoicing  in  the  present,  which 
has  put  my  old  friend  and  fellow-citizen  of  Albany  into 
the  high  place  of  service  here  which  he  is  preeminently 
fitted  to  fill,  I  look  with  the  fearless  eye  of  hope  toward 
the  future  of  this  University.  One  of  the  many  institu- 
tions of  the  higher  learning  in  this  great  State,  it  has  its 
own  sphere  of  service,  its  own  especial  possibilities  of 
usefulness.  I  remember  well  my  father's  words  that 
June  day  fifty  years  ago,  when,  speaking  of  our  Colleges, 
he  quoted  the  old  lines :  "  Facies  non  omnibus  una  nee 
diversa  tamen,  qualem  decet  esse  sororum." ' 

Yes,  they  are  sisters,  all  these  fair  mothers  of  the  intel- 
lectual, moral,  spiritual  children  whom  they  bear  and 
train :  Columbia,  Union,  Hobart,  Cornell,  Williams,  St. 
Stephen's,  Syracuse,  Hamilton,  and  the  rest.  They  are 
vessels  in  the  Master's  House,  different  in  character  and 
distinct  in  use,  but  "  vessels  unto  honour,"  For  our  Uni- 
versity here, —  if  I  may  so  call  Old  Union  as  naturally  the 
institution  of  the  capital  city  of  this  State,  and  as  a  kind 
stepmother  to  me,  her  unworthy  "alumnus  causa  honoris," 
— our  University  has  its  own  peculiar  place  and  power  in 
the  purposes  of  Grod.  You  will  not  fault  me  if  I  avow 
that,  naturally,  my  chiefest  interest  as  a  churchman 
centers  in  our  Church  Colleges  —  Columbia,  Hobart,  St. 
Stephen's ;  because  I  believe  firmly  that  a  perfect  educa- 
tion demands  training  in  the  Christian  religion,  and  that 
a  perfect  training  in  the  Christian  religion  demands  defi- 
nite teaching  of  tJiefaUJi. 

But  my  deep  interest  in  education  breaks  down  all 
narrowing  limitations  and  recognizes  the  learning  and 
the  teaching,  the  larger  appliances  for  scholarly  work 

1  He  translated  tliem  that  day : 

They  seem  not  one, 

Nor  yet  as  two, 
But  look  alike, 

As  sisters  do. 


BACCALAUREATE   SERMON.  139 

wherever  they  are,  the  great  things  tliat  are  behind  Old 
Union,  and  the  great  things  that  are  before  her,  too. 
Tied,  I  am  glad  to  say,  witli  a  bond  that  is  more  than 
telephonic,  to  my  own  old  town  of  Albany,  by  the  fact 
that  the  Medical  and  Law  departments  of  the  University, 
the  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  the  Dudley  Observatory 
are  there,  and  with  a  possibility  of  even  nearer  and  closer 
contact  with  the  Capital  City  which  more  and  more  is 
tending  to  be  the  home  of  thought  and  study.  Union 
University  is  the  University  of  Allmny ;  and  Albany  is 
the  capital  and  center  of  the  Empire  State. 

Our  watchword  to-night  is  "Concordia" — together- 
heartedness,  that  means  —  the  union  of  Alumni  and 
Undergraduates  in  a  liberal  love  of  their  Alma  Mater; 
the  union  of  Trustees  and  Faculty  under  the  brave  lead- 
ership of  the  President,  in  a  large  conception  of  future 
work;  the  union  of  the  Public  Schools  with  the  High 
Schools  and  Academies,  and  of  the  High  Schools  and 
Academies,  in  this  broad  section  of  New  York,  with  this 
University,  so  that  they  shall  feed  her,  and  she  shall 
foster  them ;  the  union  of  all  the  Colleges  and  Universi- 
ties of  the  Empire  State;  the  union  of  the  educational 
interests  of  New  York;  the  union  of  all  lovers  of  that  com- 
bination of  piety  and  patriotism  for  which  this  institution 
stands,  the  Jive  Union  of  diversity  in  unity,  "non  omnibus 
una,"  "e  pluribus  unum;"  and  She,  the  mother  of  such 
noble  sons  and  "bringing  forth  more  fruit  in  her  age"; 
She,  in  position  and  in  purpose,  in  nature  and  in  name, 
the  point  and  pivot  of  that  union  in  which  there  is 
strength. 

God  grant  the  consummation,  and  hasten  it  in  His  time. 
God  guide  and  guard  you,  my  young  friends  and  make 
you  "vessels  unto  honour."    God  bless  Old  Union. 


EDUCATORS'   DAY. 


The  morning  and  the  aftei'noon  Sessions  of  the  Conference  were  held 
in  the  College  Chapel,  the  evening  Session  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church. 


(JEtiufational  Conference. 
MORNING  SESSION. 

SUBJECT  :    THE    SECONDAEY   SCHOOL. 

Hon.  Melvil  Dewey,  Secretaky  of  the  University  of 
THE  State  of  New  York,  presiding. 

INTRODUCTORY   ADDRESS 

BY  MR.  DEWEY. 

IT  was  my  experience  as  a  boy,  some  thirty  years  ago, 
to  come  nuder  teachers  from  Union  College  oftener, 
perhaps,  than  under  teachers  from  any  other  half-dozen 
institutions.  The  three  teachers  in  the  schools  I  at- 
tended that  made  the  strongest  impression  on  me  were 
all  graduates  of  the  old  college  at  Schenectady,  and  the 
result  of  my  experience  was  that,  as  I  approached  the  time 
for  my  college  course,  I  found  myself  possessed  with  a 
strong  feeling  that  it  was  a  great  thing  to  go  to  col- 
lege, but  to  go  to  Union  was  a  much  greater.  Union 
stood  out  in  our  imagination  far  beyond  the  ordinary 
college,  because  of  the  men  we  had  seen  her  send  out. 
It  chances,  too,  that  the  best  day  of  all  the  year  to  me  is 


144  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  Union,  and  the 
election  of  her  first  president  —  for  on  that  day  I  was 
married. 

When  I  became  connected  with  the  Regents,  I  naturally 
felt  a  warm  interest  in  Union  College,  not  only  because 
she  was  the  eldest  born  of  those  institutions  which  have 
received  charters  from  the  Regents,  but  also  because  of 
the  things  for  which  Union  has  stood  ;  and  the  true  test 
of  that  is  the  reception  accorded  her  innovations  by  the 
educational  world.  Union  was  preeminently  a  pioneer 
in  certain  directions.  She  was  a  non-sectarian  institu- 
tion. When,  a  hundred  years  ago.  Union's  charter  was 
sent  out  from  the  Regents'  office,  soon  after  the  most 
famous  of  my  predecessors,  DeWitt  Clinton,  had  assumed 
office  as  Secretary,  nearly  all  colleges  were  sectarian. 
Now,  as  I  look  over  the  list,  I  find  less  than  one  tenth 
willing  to  report  themselves  as  sectarian.  Thus  the  ex- 
ample of  undenominationalism  set  by  Union  a  century 
ago  has  been  largely  followed.  The  principle  has  grown 
stronger  and  stronger,  and  to-day  the  strongest  higher 
educational  institutions  are  non-sectarian. 

Then,  Union  stood  for  a  greater  liberality  in  its  range 
of  studies.  It  was  a  pioneer  in  introducing  modern  lan- 
guages and  scientific  studies  into  the  college  curriculum. 
It  set  the  example  of  greater  flexibility  with  less  of  the 
Procrustean  in  college  courses. 

Union  was  also  a  pioneer  in  trusting  students  —  put- 
ting them  on  their  honor  as  to  their  personal  conduct. 
We  of  Amherst  are  very  proud  of  the  Amherst  system ; 
but  I  find  that,  under  President  Nott,  Union  had  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  great  deal  of  that  trust  in  students'  honor 
which  has  since  his  day  so  widely  spread  throughout  the 
country. 

So  I  come  to  Union  this  morning  with  a  peculiar  in- 
terest in  this  centennial,  and  our  topic  of  "  The  School " 
leads  me  to  say  what  I  believe  in  my  heart  of  the  second- 


INTRODUCTOKY   ADDRESS.  145 

ai\y  school.  England,  forced  to  a  profound  conviction 
of  its  superlative  importance,  has  been  engaged  this 
last  year  in  reorganizing  her  secondary-school  system. 
France,  since  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  has  marvelously 
developed  her  secondary  schools,  as  well  as  her  schools  of 
higher  education.  The  French  used  to  think  that  they 
as  a  nation  needed  to  pay  only  for  primary  education ; 
but  they  learned  a  grievous  lesson  at  tlie  time  of  the 
Prussian  war,  and  since  then  their  appropriations  have 
grown  fivefold  for  secondary  education  —  fivefold  in 
twenty-five  years.  The  gain  to  the  country  through  this 
greater  devotion  to  advanced  education  has  more  than 
offset  the  physical  losses  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war. 
The  truth  was  aptly  put  by  that  famous  Frenchman, 
Renau.  When  some  one  said  that  it  was  the  German 
needle-gun  that  cost  France  the  victory,  he  said,  "No;  it 
was  not  the  Grerman  needle-gun,  nor  the  German  soldier 
that  held  the  needle-gun ;  nor  was  it  the  German  school- 
master that  made  the  German  soldier;  but  it  was  the 
German  University  that  made  the  German  schoolmaster." 
France  learned  that  lesson,  and  it  teaches  us  that  we 
cannot  have  a  thorough  and  satisfactory  system  of  ele- 
mentary schools  till  we  first  have  a  system  of  secondary 
schools  to  fit  teachers  for  the  elementary  work. 

It  is  part  of  the  stock  in  trade  of  superficial  writers  in 
the  public  press  to  clamor  that  public  funds  ought  to  be 
confined  to  the  elementary  schools;  that  it  is  unjust  to 
take  the  taxpayers'  money  to  support  high  schools,  as  is 
done  all  over  the  country.  Such  people  forget  the  pecu- 
liar character  and  nature  of  education.  They  take  no 
account  of  what  might  be  called  its  "diffusive"  qualities. 
Their  criticism  would  have  force,  if  it  were  true  that 
secondary  education  benefited  only  the  recipient.  But 
that  is  no  more  true  than  that  the  man  who  builds  a 
lighthouse  on  a  rocky  coast  to  light  his  own  fishing- 
smack  safely  to  harbor  can  exclude  its  benefit  from  all 
10 


146  UNION    COLLEGE. 

but  his  own  little  craft.  It  is  no  more  true  than  that  the 
man  who  builds  a  beautiful  roadway  beside  his  own  resi- 
dence builds  only  for  himself ;  every  passer  shares  the 
benefit.  It  is  no  more  true  than  that  he  who  drains  a 
pestilential  swamp,  and  turns  the  wet  jungle  into  a 
blooming  field,  can  keep  the  whole  gain  for  himself.  The 
health  of  the  whole  community  must  be  improved  by  his 
labor.  So  the  fallacy  of  the  criticism  of  these  many  well- 
meaning  people  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  overlook  the 
diffusive  nature  of  education,  and  that  the  secondary 
school  in  training  its  students  is  raising  the  standard  of 
intelligence  of  the  whole  community. 

I  ran  across  a  case  the  other  day  which  illustrates  this. 
The  head  of  a  great  manufacturing  firm  said :  "  We  have 
all  the  work  we  can  do  in  our  own  factory.  We  get  all 
our  workmen,  if  possible,  from  Worcester,  Massachusetts." 
The  question  was  asked,  "Why?"  The  reply  was,  "Be- 
cause the  Worcester  Public  Library,  supported  by  taxa- 
tion, has  one  of  the  best  collections  in  this  country  of 
books  pertaining  to  our  work ;  and  the  presence  of  this 
library  with  its  fund  of  information  produces  a  class  of 
people  who  are  the  best  for  our  business."  That  gives  a 
tangible  illustration  of  a  substantial  return  from  an  in- 
vestment in  material  from  which  intelligence  is  made. 
Which  one  of  us  to-day,  in  looking  for  a  home  to  which 
he  might  bring  his  children  for  their  proper  education, 
would  hesitate  a  moment  to  pay  the  higher  price  of  living 
in  a  community  having  a  good  secondary  school. 

In  many  cities,  taking  the  value  of  lot  and  building, 
and  the  various  expenses  connected  with  the  support  of 
the  high  school,  we  have  the  equivalent  of  an  endowment 
of  not  less  than  a  million  dollars.  A  few  years  ago  that 
would  have  been  thought  a  princely  endowment  for  a 
university,  yet  the  cities  of  the  country  are  maintaining 
these  schools ;  and  if  you  were  to  put  it  to  the  vote  of  the 
community,  you  would  have  an  overwhelming  majority 


INTRODUCTORY   ADDRESS.  147 

in  favor  of  coiitiiiuiiig  tins  munitic'eut  support  at  public 
expense. 

The  year  1895  has  been  marked  by  important  legisla- 
tion to  the  advantage  of  the  high  schools  of  this  State. 
Fii'st  was  the  law  providing  for  an  academic  fund  that 
should  hereafter  be  increased  each  year  with  the  growth 
of  the  schools.  Heretofore  we  have  been  under  a  law 
dating  back  half  a  century,  which  provided  a  fixed  and 
unchanging  sum,  so  that  when  the  number  of  schools 
increased,  the  divisor  became  constantly  larger  and  the 
quotient  constantly  smaller.  As  the  number  of  students 
in  those  schools  increased,  the  amount  received  for  each 
grew  less.  So  far  as  State  encouragement  was  concerned, 
it  was  a  financial  misfortune  to  any  school  to  have  the 
number  of  schools  or  of  its  own  pupils  increase. 

A  second  clause  of  the  law  provides  that  every  school 
registered  as  of  academic  grade  should  also  receive  an- 
nually one  hundred  dollars,  and  also  one  cent  for  each 
day's  attendance  of  each  academic  student.  This  action 
of  the  legislature  was  doubly  significant  because  it  fol- 
lowed an  agitation  in  this  State  from  that  little  remnant 
of  people  who  still  antagonize  public  taxation  for  support 
of  high  schools. 

Still  more  significant,  educationally,  is  the  beginning  of 
a  new  system  under  which  the  Court  of  Appeals  will,  at 
an  early  day,  require  every  candidate  for  the  legal  pro- 
fession to  have  at  least  a  full  high-school  education. 
They  have  raised  the  standard  now  three  times,  and  with 
the  last  increase  of  requirements,  say  that  probably  the 
next  step  will  be  to  require,  within  the  next  two  or  three 
years,  a  four-year  high-school  course,  or  its  full  equiva- 
lent. The  legislature  this  year  also  established  a  graded 
increase  in  the  requirements  for  the  study  of  medicine, 
so  that  the  classes  matriculating  after  1897  must  be  made 
up  solely  of  candidates  having  a  full  high-school  course, 
without  which  they  will  not  be  allowed  to  pursue  their 


148  UNION    COLLEGE. 

medical  studies.  Next  came  the  movement  for  raising 
the  standard  of  education  for  admission  to  the  practice 
of  dentistry,  sustained  by  the  State  Dental  Society,  com- 
posed of  the  best  dentists  in  the  State,  who  secured  the 
same  requirements  as  for  the  study  of  medicine.  The 
dentists  were  closely  followed  by  the  State  Veterinary 
Society,  who  secured  a  law  providing  that  no  man  or 
woman  shall  be  admitted  to  practice  in  this  State,  after 
the  class  entering  in  1897,  who  has  not  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  his  profession  in  a  full  high-school  course.  Fi- 
nally came  the  law  reaching  the  common-school  teachers 
in  cities,  requiring  that,  in  1897,  again,  teachers  must  be 
graduates  of  normal  schools,  or  in  lieu  thereof  must  have 
had  a  full  high-school  course  supplemented  by  thirty- 
eight  weeks  in  a  training-school,  or  normal-school  tech- 
nical instruction. 

In  law,  medicine,  dentistry,  veterinary  surgery,  and 
public-school  teaching,  then,  this  year  has  marked  the 
setting  of  the  high-school  course  as  the  minimum  educa- 
tional requirement  for  admission  to  these  professions, 
and  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  clear-minded  theological 
seminary  presidents  recently  sent  in  a  request  to  the  Re- 
gents that  a  similar  rule  should  be  made  for  theological 
students.  This  was  one  of  the  things  we  had  been  shy 
of  suggesting,  but  had  been  hoping  and  waiting  for  from 
the  side  of  the  seminary.  All  these  movements  have 
come  from  the  professions  themselves.  The  call  has  al- 
ready come  from  theology,  and  there  is  a  growing  feeling 
that  the  Civil  Service  of  the  State  should  require  at  least 
a  high-school  training  as  a  condition  of  candidacy  there- 
for. We  are  going  to  learn  the  lesson  that  they  have 
learned  in  Europe,  that  if  it  is  worth  the  twenty  million 
dollars  that  it  costs  each  year  to  support  the  educational 
system  of  the  State,  then  the  State  is  entitled  to  the  bene- 
fit arising  from  having  the  product  of  the  high  school  and 
academy  in  its  professions  and  its  public  departments. 


INTRODUCTORY   ADDRESS.  149 

See  what  this  new  law  means  to  the  secondary  school ! 
Hereafter,  if  your  boys  and  girls  hope,  either  soon  or 
late,  to  go  into  either  of  these  professions,  they  must 
complete  the  high-school  course.  This  will  be  a  powerful 
incentive  to  them  to  remain  in  school  and  round  out 
their  education  instead  of  dropping  out  after  the  first, 
second,  or  third  year,  as  has  been  so  common.  The  State 
gives  a  still  greater  pecuniary  support  to  the  schools,  and 
also  this  encouragement  in  the  form  of  statute  that  ad- 
mission to  practice  in  these  scholarly  professions  must 
depend  on  the  candidate's  having  prepared  himself  by  a 
general  education  at  least  equivalent  to  a  high-school 
course.  This  advance  has  gone  hand  in  hand  with  in- 
creased technical  requirements  in  professional  schools. 

As  we  take  up  the  discussion  of  the  school,  to  be 
opened  by  a  man  known  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  laud,  pray  bear  in  mind  that  this  is  an 
educational  conference,  and  that  we  are  to  have  a  face-to- 
face  discussion  of  the  points  brought  out  by  the  speaker. 

I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  for  the  first  paper  this 
morning  a  man  whose  work  in  elementary  as  well  as  sec- 
ondary education  is  known  throughout  this  country  and 
abroad,  and  who  is  recognized  as  a  leader  wherever  the 
work  of  the  Committee  of  Fifteen  is  known.  We  are  all 
proud  that  that  man,  who  did  more  than  any  one  else  in 
this  cause,  was  of  our  own  State, —  Mr.  William  H.  Max- 
well, Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Brooklyn. 


10* 


ADDEESS 

BY  WILLIAM  H.  MAXWELL, 

Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  BrooUyn,  N.   Y. 
THE   STUDIES   OF   THE   SECONDARY   SCHOOL. 

IT  is  not  without  good  reason  that,  in  celebrating  the 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  foundation  of  Union 
College,  the  work  of  the  school  should  receive  due  atten- 
tion in  the  exercises.  The  hundred  years  that  have 
elapsed  since  the  acorn  was  planted  which  has  grown  into 
the  stately  oak  that  shelters  us  to-day  have  witnessed 
many  changes  in  education  —  changes  that  have  affected 
the  school  even  more  than  they  have  affected  the  college. 
These  hundred  years  have  seen  the  German  system  of 
education  —  the  most  complete  the  world  has  ever  known 
—  developed  from  the  kindergarten  to  the  university. 
They  have  seen  —  nay,  we  ourselves  have  seen  —  within 
the  past  few  years  education  in  England  become  the  right 
of  all  instead  of  the  privilege  of  a  few.  They  have  seen 
universal  popular  education  established  in  every  British 
colony.  They  have  seen  France,  rent  asunder  by  the  un- 
clean spirits  she  has  cast  out,  at  last  clothed  and  in  her 
right  mind,  and  become  in  many  respects  a  model  to  the 
world  in  the  education  of  her  children.  And  they  have 
seen  the  great  public-school  system  of  America  struggling 
up  from  its  small  beginnings  in  the  Dutch  colonies  in  New 
York  and  the  Puritan  settlements  in  New  England,  until 


ADDRESS.  151 

it  lias  l)ec()iiu'  tlic  chief  means  of  enlightenment  for  the 
masses  of  the  people,  an  incalenlable  fovee  that  makes  for 
riii-hteousnoss.  The  century  that  is  di'awing  to  a  close 
will  stand  in  history  for  many  great  and  beneficent  move- 
ments, but  for  none  more  than  for  the  spread  of  popular 
education. 

When  we  come  to  analyze  this  wonderful  movement  of 
the  century,  we  find  certain  strongly  marked  features 
which  cannot  be  mistaken,  and  which  must  be  thoroughly 
understood  if  we  are  to  plan  wisely  for  the  development 
of  education  in  the  future. 

In  the  first  place,  this  movement  for  popular  education 
is  not  confined  to  any  one  country;  it  is  a- world-move- 
ment. Universal  education  is  not  confined  to  America ; 
it  is  not  confined  to  Germany.  It  has  recently  become 
the  law  in  England  and  the  law  in  France.  Its  beneficent 
influence  is  felt  in  poor  oppressed  Ireland,  and  is  making 
New  Zealand  a  model  commonwealth.  It  is  making  its 
way  slowly,  but  surely,  in  Italy.  Signs  are  not  wanting 
that  it  is  making  headway  in  Russia.  And  it  has  enabled 
Japan  to  conquer  her  more  powerful  and  more  populous 
neighbor,  who  has  used  popular  (education  not  to  develop 
the  latent  powers  of  individuals,  but  to  preserve  the  tra- 
ditions of  semi-barbarism.  Popular  education,  as  a 
world-movement,  is  part  of  a  still  larger  movement  —  the 
democratic  movement  by  which  political  power  has  been 
transferred  from  the  few  to  the  many.  Without  popular 
education  as  ballast,  the  ship  of  state  will  inevitably  be 
wrecked  on  the  rocks  of  anarchy. 

But  while  popular  education  is  a  world- movement,  it 
is  a  movement  that  has  acquired  a  peculiar  strength  and 
a  peculiar  character  in  America.  We  have  taken  part  — 
in  many  respects  we  have  led  the  way  —  in  the  onward 
educational  movement;  but  it  has  been  in  a  manner  pe- 
culiarly our  own.  In  other  countries,  popular  education 
has  progressed  along  lines  laid  down  by  the  central  gov- 


152  UNION    COLLEGE. 

ernment,  which  regulates  the  schools  of  the  people  down 
even  to  the  smallest  details.  In  this  country,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  central  government  takes  no  direct  part  in  edu- 
cational work,  except  in  the  education  of  its  Indian  wards. 
It  is  true  that  it  has  always  evinced  the  liveliest  interest 
in  popular  education,  not  only  by  collecting  and  pub- 
lishing, through  its  Bureau  of  Education,  facts  and  sta- 
tistics that  would  be  otherwise  inaccessible,  but  by  mak- 
ing enormous  grants  of  land  for  the  support  of  schools 
and  colleges.  The  care  of  popular  education,  however, 
has  been  reserved  for  the  State  governments.  These,  in 
turn,  have,  as  a  rule,  contented  themselves  with  passing 
general  laws,  and  have  left  the  management  of  details  to 
local  authorities.  This  fact  —  the  regulation  of  popular 
education  by  local  authorities  —  I  take  to  be  the  most 
characteristic  feature  of  popular  education  in  America. 
Educational  theorists,  who  admire  the  symmetrical  and 
easy-running  machinery  of  the  German  and  French  edu- 
cational systems,  upbraid  us  with  what  they  are  pleased 
to  call  the  lack  of  system  in  America.  They  point  to  the 
undoubted  facts  that  New  York  has  one  system  —  if  sys- 
tem it  can  be  called ;  that  Massachusetts  has  another ; 
Michigan,  another ;  and  so  on  throughout  the  list  of  our 
commonwealths.  They  tell  us  that  our  public  schools 
vary  extremely  in  degrees  of  efficiency,  that  only  in  some 
places  are  they  managed  by  educational  experts,  and  that 
in  many  they  are  injuriously  affected  by  the  baleful  in- 
fluences of  party  politics.  But  when  all  has  been  said 
that  can  be  said  with  truth  in  criticism  of  our  public 
schools,  the  great  facts  remain  that  American  public 
schools  are  the  people's  schools,  that  the  people  pay  for 
them,  that  the  people  have  developed  them,  that  the 
schools  have  very  largely  molded  the  character  of  the 
people,  and  that  so  long  as  the  schools  remain  under 
the  care  of  the  people,  government  for  the  people  and  by 
the  people  shall  never  perish  from  the  earth.    We  may 


ADDEESS.  153 

best  perceive  the  advantages  of  our  peculiar  way  of  local 
school  managemeut  by  consideriug  the  effects  on  a  large 
population  of  the  opposite  policy  —  the  policy  of  centrali- 
zation. From  time  immemorial,  at  least  for  her  male 
population,  China  has  had  universal  education,  and  has 
imparted  to  this  education  an  enormous  value  in  the 
eyes  of  her  people  by  nud<ing  it,  through  competitive  ex- 
amination, the  exclusive  door  of  entrance  to  all  offices  of 
power  and  emolument  in  the  Empire.  But  the  autocratic 
Chinese  govei-nment  permits  only  one  thing  to  be  taught 
in  the  Chinese  schools  —  the  nine  classics  that  embody 
the  ancient  traditions  of  the  race ;  and  only  one  faculty 
of  the  mind  to  be  cultivated  —  the  memory.  The  result 
is  that  local  self-government  does  not  exist,  that  the  peo- 
ple, trained  only  in  traditional  forms  of  acting  and  think- 
ing, perpetuate  the  customs  of  the  ages,  and  have  lost  the 
power  to  develop  individuality  of  character  and  to  initi- 
ate new  forms  of  civilization.  The  Chinese  system  is  the 
extreme  on  one  side.  On  the  other  side,  the  American 
plan  shows  the  contrary  extreme.  The  American  plan 
has  fostered  freedom.  It  has  cultivated  local  self-gov- 
ernment. It  has  developed  individuality.  It  has  en- 
abled oui-  people  to  subdue  a  continent  to  the  uses  of  the 
most  advanced  civilization.  It  has  raised  up  not  one 
center  of  thought  and  influence  that  dominates  the  whole 
nation,  as  Paris  has  dominated  France,  but  a  thousand 
centers  whence  radiate  the  influences  of  intelligence. 
The  evolution  of  education  in  America  has  not  been,  and 
is  not  now,  without  its  own  peculiar  dangers ;  but  its 
advantages  far  more  than  compensate  for  its  disadvan- 
tages. It  has  made  American  life  strong  with  the  spirit 
that  breathes  in  the  noble  words  of  Martin  Luther : 

Know  you  uot  that  the  wind  of  freedom  is  blowing? 

In  the  next  place,  the  century  has  witnessed  the  trans- 
fer, in  very  large  measure,  of  the  control  of  education 


154  UNION    COLLEGE. 

from  the  church  and  ecclesiastics  to  secular  authorities 
and  educational  experts.  The  first  schools  and  colleges 
established  in  this  country  were  dominated  by  ecclesi- 
astical authority.  In  this  movement  —  a  movement  that 
is  inevitable  among  a  free  people  —  Union  College  has 
been  a  pioneer.  Though  twenty-one  colleges  were 
founded  in  America  before  Union,  yet  Union  was  the 
first  in  the  United  States  that  was  not  confessedly  de- 
nominational in  its  character.  As  its  name  implies,  its 
founders  wisely  determined  that  it  should  offer  equal 
advantages  to  young  men  of  all  religious  denominations 
and  give  preferences  to  none.  Many  of  our  older  insti- 
tutions, founded  expressly  in  the  interest  of  a  sect,  such 
as  Harvard  and  Columbia,  have  cast  aside  denominational 
fetters,  and  work  now  only  for  the  common  good,  for  the 
interests  of  all  and  not  for  the  interests  of  a  few. 

This  movement  away  from  ecclesiastical  control  is  also 
a  movement  away  from  private  control  of  any  kind  and 
toward  public  support  and  public  control.  In  our  own 
State,  nearly  every  college  and  university  has  at  some 
time  or  other  benefited  by  the  munificence  of  the  State, 
and  all  are  more  or  less  subject  to  the  regulations  of  the 
Regents  of  the  University. 

In  many  of  the  Western  States,  of  which  Michigan 
may  be  taken  as  the  type,  education  from  the  kinder- 
garten to  the  university  is  now  chiefly  in  the  hands 
of  the  State.  But  it  is  in  the  elementary  and  secon- 
dary schools  that  this  movement  is  most  conspicuous. 
According  to  Commissioner  Harris's  last  report,  out 
of  every  100  pupils  in  the  elementary  grade, — by  the 
"elementary  grade"  I  mean  the  first  eight  years  of 
school  work, —  out  of  every  100  pupils  in  the  elemen- 
tary grade,  91.54  pupils  are  in  public  schools  and 
only  8.46  pupils  are  in  private  schools.  In  secondary 
schools  (schools  that  cover  the  work  from  the  ninth  to 
the  twelfth  years  inclusive),  38.41  per  cent,  of  the  pu- 


ADDRESS.  155 

pils  arc  iu  private  schools,  while  61.59  per  eeiit.  are  in 
[)ublic  schools.  But  while  this  movement  away  from 
ecclesiastical  and  private,  and  toward  public,  support  and 
control  has  l)een  a  most  beneficent  one,  in  that  it  has  se- 
cured through  governmental  aid  what  could  never  have 
been  accomplished  by  private  enterprise,  in  that  it  has 
made  universal  education  possible,  and  in  that  it  has 
freed  the  schools  from  the  shackles  of  denominationalism, 
yet  I  for  one  sincerely  hope  that  the  day  is  far  distant 
when  all  schools  will  be  public  schools.  The  private 
school  has  a  great  mission  to  perform.  In  the  private 
school  must  be  tried  those  educational  experiments 
to  which  public  officers  would  not  be  justified  in  applying 
the  public  moneys.  The  private  school,  in  order  to  live 
against  the  competition  of  the  public  school,  must  be  a 
good  school,  and  this  friendly  rivalry  is  often  productive 
of  most  beneficial  results.  Moreover,  there  is  always  a 
class  of  children  who  will  develop  only  under  individual 
training.  For  these  the  private  school  —  often  the  private 
boarding-school  —  is  the  best  school.  If  a  parent  is  un- 
fortunate in  his  child,  or  if  a  child  is  unfortunate  in  his 
parent,  the  private  boarding-school  is  the  best  solution  of 
the  difficulty.  Thus,  while  the  tide  has  set  strongly  to- 
ward the  public  school, —  very  strongly  in  the  case  of  the 
secondary  school,  and  almost  overwhelmingly  in  the  case 
of  the  elementary  school, —  the  best  private  schools  re- 
main to  do  their  special  work ;  and  it  is  for  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  public  schools  that,  as  long  as  private 
schools  do  their  work  well,  they  should  remain  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  great  battle  against  ignorance  and  vice. 

The  next  great  educational  movement  of  the  century 
has  been  toward  a  i-eform  of  the  school  curriculum,  A 
hundred  years  ago  but  little  thought  had  been  given  in 
English-si3eaking  countries  to  the  work  of  the  elementary 
school.  A  hundred  years  before  the  founding  of  Union, 
Comenius  had  bequeathed  to  the  world  the  foundations 


156  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  a  science  of  education.  Fifty  years  before,  Rousseau 
had  swept  away,  as  far  as  eloquence  and  argument  could 
sweep  them  away,  the  baleful  traditions  of  education, 
and  let  the  clear  light  of  day  shine  into  the  darkened 
corners  of  the  school-house.  During  the  first  few  years 
of  the  existence  of  this  college,  Pestalozzi  was  showing 
by  his  practice  that  if  we  are  to  educate  at  all,  we  must 
appeal  to  the  senses  as  well  as  to  the  memory  —  we  must 
educate  all  the  powers  of  the  child;  and  Froebel  was 
working  out  that  glorious  scheme  for  education  by  self- 
activity  which  we  must  needs  consider  one  of  the  most 
beneficent  gifts  ever  made  by  any  human  being  to  suf- 
fering humanity  —  the  kindergarten.  Yet,  at  that  date, 
neither  the  philosophies  of  Comenius  and  Rousseau,  nor 
the  practices  of  Pestalozzi  and  Froebel,  had  penetrated 
to  the  schools  of  England  and  America.  The  elementary 
school  was  neglected.  It  taught  little  but  the  three  R's, 
and  taught  that  little  badly.  The  secondaiy  school  — 
the  academy,  as  it  was  and  often  still  is  called  —  aimed  to 
do  no  more  than  meet  the  requirements  of  the  college  — 
a  little  Latin,  a  little  Greek,  and  a  little  mathematics. 
The  ideal  was  still  that  of  Rugby  and  Eton  —  the  gram- 
mar-schools of  England  —  and  the  grammar-schools  of 
England  had  scarcely  advanced  from  the  position  they 
took  in  the  days  of  the  Renaissance.  One  of  the  first 
indications  that  there  was  a  possibility  of  improving  on 
the  traditional  curriculum  is  to  be  found  in  a  letter 
written  in  1803  by  a  young  clergyman  of  Albanj^,  out- 
lining a  plan  for  a  city  academy.  The  young  clergyman 
was  the  Reverend  Eliphalet  Nott,  who  was  afterward  for 
sixty-two  years  the  honored  president  of  Union.  "I 
would  now  inform  you,"  wrote  Dr.  Nott,  "  that  I  propose 
to  have  my  academy  embrace  a  complete  system  of  edu- 
cation, and  furnish  to  pupils  the  means  of  pursuing  a 
regular  course  of  study,  from  the  first  rudiments  of  Eng- 
lish reading  to  the  last  finish  of  classical  culture. 


ADDRESS.  157 

"  Tho  better  to  accomplish  these  objects,  I  propose 
to  liave  it  divided  into  at  least  four  different  depart- 
ments : 

"  One  of  elocution,  including-  whatever  relates  to  ac- 
curate spelling,  coi-rect  reading,  and  graceful  and  proper 
delivery;  one  of  penmanship,  including,  besides  instruc- 
tion in  the  modes  of  forming  and  joining  letters  as 
a  study  distinct  from  the  practical  art,  bookkeeping, 
letter-writing,  mapping,  and  stenography;  one  of  mathe- 
matics, philosophy,  astronomy ;  and  one  for  the  learning 
of  languages."  He  further  advocated  the  adoption  of  the 
departmental  system  of  teaching  in  academies,  and  the 
establishment  of  primary  schools  to  teach  the  rudiments 
and  serve  as  feeders  to  the  academy. 

In  all  this.  Dr.  Nott  showed  himself  a  man  of  original 
ideas  as  well  as  of  sound  common  sense.  How  far  he 
was  in  advance  of  the  prevailing  American  thought  on 
school  education  in  the  ojjening  years  of  the  present 
century  msiy  be  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  himself  re- 
garded his  scheme  as  quite  Utopian.  And  yet  when  we 
compare  Dr.  Nott's  proposed  school  curriculum,  advanced 
as  it  then  appeared,  with  the  curriculum  of  a  city  high 
school  of  the  first  class  of  to-day,  we  cannot  fail  to  be 
struck  with  the  wonderful  change  —  shall  I  say  improve- 
ment ?  —  in  the  curriculum  of  the  secondary  school  during 
the  years  that  have  since  elapsed.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  natural  science  is  omitted  from  Dr.  Nott's  pro- 
gramme ;  that  in  it  the  studies  of  English  literature  and 
of  modern  languages,  of  art  and  of  manual  training,  find 
no  place.  But  though  Dr.  Nott  did  not  inclnde  in  his 
ideal  course  these  subjects  that  now  figure  so  prominently 
in  the  school  curriculum,  he  points  very  clearly  to  the 
scheme  of  school  organization  that  has  since  grown  up  in 
most  of  our  large  cities.  His  primary  schools  correspond 
to  the  elementary  schools  containing  primary  and  gram- 
mar  grades   that   cover   a    course   of  eight   years;    his 


158  UNION    COLLEGE. 

academy  corresponds  to  the  high  school  that  provides,  in 
most  cases,  a  course  of  four  years. 

This  dividing  line,  at  the  close  of  the  eighth  year  in 
school,  between  the  elementary  course  and  the  secondary 
coui'se,  is  largely  an  artiJSicial  line.  It  is  unfortunately 
true  that  pupils  in  large  numbers  leave  school  before  com- 
pleting the  eight  years'  course.  At  the  close  of  the  eighth 
year  and  afterwards,  the  desertions  from  the  ranks  of  the 
scholars  are  extremely  numerous.  Hence,  early  in  the 
history  of  the  public-school  system,  it  was  found  cheaper 
and  more  effective  to  gather  into  one  building  all  the 
pupils  of  the  ninth,  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelfth  years, 
and  give  them  instruction  under  the  departmental  sys- 
tem in  subjects  supposed  to  be  specially  fitted  to  their 
age  and  comprehension.  This  plan,  while  it  has  the  merit 
of  economy  and  effectiveness  in  instruction,  has  been 
accompanied  by  some  striking  disadvantages.  Not  the 
least  of  these  is  that  the  fields  of  labor  of  the  two  classes 
of  school — the  elementary  and  the  high  —  have  come  to 
be  regarded  in  the  popular  mind  as  quite  distinct,  whereas 
there  evidently  ought  to  be  an  organic  connection.  It  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  in  reality  the  separation,  as  far 
as  aims  and  methods  are  concerned,  between  the  gram- 
mar-school and  the  high  school  is  wider  than  is  the  sepa- 
ration between  the  high  school  and  the  college.  Up  to  a 
very  recent  date  the  grammar-school  has  contented  itseK 
with  teaching  reading,  spelling,  wi'iting,  geography,  Eng- 
lish grammar  and  composition,  histoi-y  of  the  United 
States,  and  a  little  drawing,  with  sometimes  thrown  in, 
as  it  were,  a  few  desultory  object-lessons  that  could  not 
be  dignified  by  the  name  of  science  teaching.  When  the 
pupil  left  this  meager  mental  pabulum,  he  was  at  once 
plunged  into  the  difficulties  of  algebra  and  geometry,  the 
intricacies  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and  courses  in  English 
literature,  general  history,  natural  science,  bookkeeping, 
and  sometimes  even  logic,  psychology,  and  political  econ- 


ADDRESS.  159 

oiiiy.  To  till  u})  tlio  time  in  the  elementary  school,  the 
teachers  were  perforce  compelled  to  teach  an  endless 
j-outine  of  nseless  detail  in  grammar  and  <;'('()<^rapliy,  and, 
in  order  to  supply  some  exercise  for  the  reasoning  powers, 
to  present  conundrums  in  arithmetic  that  serve  no  useful 
purpose  except  to  puzzle  youthful  brains.  In  this  way 
much  valuable  time  was  lost  in  the  grammar-school. 
Pupils  were,  and  are  still,  in  many  places  compelled  not 
only  to  spend  the  most  plastic  years  of  their  lives  in 
memorizing  dry  and  useless  details,  but  they  were  and 
are  prevented  from  studying  subjects  useful  in  them- 
selves and  of  high  culture-value.  Through  stress  of  cir- 
cumstances they  were  and  are  forced  to  leave  school  be- 
fore getting  an  opportunity  to  participate  in  the  mental 
gymnastic  afforded  by  algebra,  geometry,  the  languages, 
and  the  sciences.  On  the  other  hand,  the  high  school,  in 
endeavoring  to  compass  in  four  years  the  teaching  of 
Latin,  Greek,  a  modern  language,  general  history,  Eng- 
lish literature,  rhetoric,  composition,  physical  geography, 
botany,  zoology,  geology,  astronomy,  algebra,  geometry, 
and  trigonometry,  has  made  for  itself  a  course  so  con- 
gested that  it  is  impossible  to  carry  it  out  with  pleasure 
or  profit  to  any  but  the  strongest  minds.  In  the  gram- 
mar-school we  have  had  a  curriculum  meager  in  culture- 
value  but  crammed  with  unnecessary  details.  In  the  high 
school  the  course  has  been  replete  with  cultm-e,  but  so 
extensive  that  its  very  magnitude,  like  the  overgrown  top 
of  an  unpruned  fruit-tree,  largely  defeated  the  aims  of 
its  existence.  President  Eliot  of  Harvard  deserves  the 
thanks  of  the  entire  country  for  calling  attention  to  'this 
anomalous  condition  of  affairs.  His  striking  phrase,  the 
"shortening  and  enriching  of  the  grammar-school  course," 
is  now  one  of  the  watchwords  of  educational  reform. 
One  of  the  most  striking  movements  of  our  time  has  been 
this  enrichment  of  the  grammar-school  course,  by  bring- 
ing down  from  the  high  school  to  the  elementary  school 


160  UNION    COLLEGE. 

subjects  that  had  previously  been  considered,  in  public- 
school  circles  at  least,  exclusively  secondary.  Several  of 
the  conferences  which  reported  to  the  Committee  of  Ten 
strongly  favored  the  commencement  of  secondary  sub- 
jects in  the  grammar-school.  The  report  on  the  correla- 
tion of  studies  in  elementary  schools,  prepared  by  Dr. 
Harris  for  the  Committee  of  Fifteen,  also  takes  advanced 
ground  on  this  side  of  the  question.  It  recommends  that 
Latin,  or  a  modern  language,  algebra,  inventioual  geome- 
try, natural  science,  English  literature, —  to  which  the 
study  of  grammar  is  to  be  subordinated, —  and  manual 
training,  be  taught  in  the  elementary  school. 

But  even  should  the  curriculum  of  the  elementary 
school  be  enriched  by  bringing  down  from  the  secondary 
school  Latin,  algebra,  and  the  other  subjects  I  have 
mentioned,  the  number  of  subjects  which  it  is  generally 
thought  necessary  to  teach  in  the  high  school  is  still 
so  large  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  pupil  to  com- 
pass all  of  them  within  four  years.  You,  gentlemen, 
who  spend  your  days  in  these  calm  retreats  of  delightful 
studies,  when  you  criticize  the  attainments  of  the  stu- 
dents who  knock  for  admission  at  your  doors,  probably 
find  it  hard  to  realize  the  difficulties  we  who  live  under 
less  favored  conditions  are  forced  to  meet  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  city  high  schools.  Only  a  small  fraction  of 
those  who  attend  the  high  schools  proceed  to  college. 
The  vast  majority  of  the  students  in  these  schools  go 
there,  not  to  prepare  for  college,  but  to  prepare  directly 
for  life.  For  them  the  classical  part  of  the  course  re- 
quired for  entrance  to  college  has  few  attractions.  They 
want  modern  languages.  They  want  physical  and  nat- 
ural science.  They  want  commercial  subjects,  such  as 
bookkeeping  and  commercial  law.  They  want  manual 
training:  the  girls  want  sewing  and  dressmaking  and 
millinery  and  cooking ;  the  boys  want  mechanical  draw- 
ing and  wood-working  and  metal-working.     How  are  we 


ADDRESS.  161 

to  arrange  for  orderly  iiistrnctioii  in  this  mass  of  com- 
plex subjects  ? 

If  wo  study  the  liistoiy  of  the  hig'h  school  cnrricnlnm, 
we  shall  lind  that,  in  obedience  to  i)opiilar  demand,  one 
subject  after  another  was  added  to  the  traditional  curri- 
culum, uutil  the  course  became  so  heavy  that  it  was  pos- 
siljle  to  give  only  a  few  weeks  in  the  year  and  a  very  few 
hours  each  week  to  each  subject.  We  have  had  high 
schools  that  gave  ten  weeks  to  botany,  ten  weeks  to  as- 
tronomy, ten  weeks  to  zoology,  ten  weeks  to  physiology, 
ten  weeks  to  geology,  ten  weeks  to  logic,  and  ten  weeks 
to  psychology,  with  the  result  that  their  pupils'  minds 
became  a  howling  wilderness  of  stunted  growths  and 
sessile  faculties.  Even  though  this  system  lingers  still 
in  many  schools,  its  deatliblow  was  administered  by  the 
Committee  of  Ten.  That  Committee  declared  that  no 
subject  should  be  taught  in  the  secondary  school  which 
cannot  be  continued  long  enough,  and  for  a  sufficient 
number  of  hours  per  week,  to  enable  the  student  to  get 
out  of  it  whatever  of  culture-value  it  contains.  The 
enunciation  of  this  doctrine  is  sufficient  to  carry  con- 
viction. Any  school  that  arranges  its  course  of  study 
without  regard  to  this  dictum  can  be  regarded  only  as 
falling  far  behind  the  age. 

The  first  rational  attempt  to  solve  this  puzzling  problem 
of  how  to  teach  all  the  subjects  that  ought  to  be  taught 
in  a  high  school  without  overburdening  the  pupil  was 
made  in  those  cities  large  enough  to  support  two  or  more 
large  high  schools.  Induced  more  by  reasons  of  economy 
than  by  pedagogical  considerations,  these  cities  have,  in 
many  instances,  found  it  convenient  to  establish,  side  by 
side  with  the  classical  school  that  prepares  for  college,  the 
English  high  school  that  prepares,  or  is  supposed  to  pre- 
pare, directly  for  the  business  of  life.  Within  the  past  ten 
years,  a  third  school  has  made  its  appearance — the  man- 
ual-training high  school,  of  which  the  schools  of  that 
11 


162  UNION    COLLEGE. 

name  in  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Brooklyn,  and  the 
Mechanic  Arts  High  School  in  Boston,  are  types.  In  these 
schools  the  school  day  is  usuallj^  divided  into  six  periods. 
Two  periods  per  day  are  devoted  to  shop  work  in  woods 
and  metals;  one  period  is  devoted  to  mathematics;  one 
to  physics  and  chemistry ;  one  to  English  ;  and  one  to 
drawing,  in  preparation  for  shop  work.  In  cities  large 
enough  to  support  different  schools  of  these  kinds,  the 
pupils  that  graduate  from  the  eight  years'  elementary 
course  have  the  right  to  choose  which  they  will  enter. 
In  smaller  cities,  where  but  one  high  school  is  possible,  a 
choice  is  given  among  several  courses.  The  Kansas  City 
High  School,  for  example,  has,  I  believe,  eleven  different 
courses. 

The  choice  of  courses,  however,  whether  in  different 
schools,  or  in  the  same  school,  has  proved  but  a  partial 
solution  of  the  problem.  The  Committee  of  Ten  saw  the 
difficulty,  and  met  it  with  characteristic  boldness  by  prac- 
tically declaring  that  all  the  subjects  of  study  in  the  sec- 
ondary school  are  of  equivalent  value  both  for  pedagogi- 
cal purposes  and  for  admission  to  college.  "  These  sub- 
jects," says  the  Report,  "  would  all  be  taught  consecutively 
and  thoroughly,  and  would  all  be  carried  on  in  the  same 
spirit;  they  would  all  be  used  for  training  the  powers 
of  observation,  memory,  expression,  and  reasoning;  and 
they  would  be  good  to  that  end,  although  differing 
among  themselves  in  quality  and  substance."  "A  col- 
lege might  say,"  continues  the  Report,  "we  will  accept 
for  admission  any  group  of  studies  taken  from  the  sec- 
ondary-school programme,  provided  that  the  sum  of  the 
studies  in  each  of  the  four  years  amounts  to  sixteen,  or 
eighteen,  or  twenty  periods  a  week, — as  may  be  thought 
best, — and  provided  further,  that  in  each  year  at  least 
foui*  of  the  subjects  presented  shall  have  been  pursued 
at  least  three  periods  a  week,  and  that  at  least  three  of 
the  subjects  shall  have  been  pursued  three  years  or  more." 


ADDRESS.  168 

Up  to  the  present  time,  I  think,  no  ('oUege  of  standing, 
not  even  Harvard,  has  followed  this  advice.  Indeed,  it 
is  not  too  mueli  to  say  that  the  doctrine  of  the  equiva- 
lence of  studies  for  pedagogical  purposes  is  the  weak 
spot  in  that  great  Report.  This  theory,  as  President 
Baker  has  pointed  out,  is  at  variance  with  Pliilosophy, 
with  Psychology,  and  with  the  Science  of  Education.  It 
ignores  the  "  nature  and  value  of  the  content."  "  Power 
comes  though  knowledge;  we  cannot  conceive  of  observa- 
tion and  memory  and  reasoning  in  the  abstract."  Any 
number  of  things,  such  as  chess,  Choctaw,  Egyptian  hiero- 
glyphics, might  be  mentioned,  the  study  of  which  would 
cultivate  observation,  memory,  and  reasoning,  but  would 
not  leave  in  the  mind  a  valuable  residuum  of  knowledge 
that  would  make  for  power  and  righteousness.  In  build- 
ing the  curriculum  of  the  school,  content  must  have  due 
attention,  or  the  whole  structure  will  fall  to  the  ground. 

And  yet  so  great  an  impetus  has  been  given,  by  this 
doctrine  of  the  equivalence  of  studies,  as  promulgated  in- 
directly by  the  Committee  of  Ten,  that  there  are  now 
those  who  advocate  giving  not  only  a  choice  between 
courses,  but  almost  absolute  freedom  in  the  selection  of 
the  subjects.  The  advocates  of  this  freedom  of  choice 
claim  that  children  are  "  unlike  in  the  mental  charac- 
teristics which  they  inherit;  that  a  rigid  and  uniform 
curriculum  cannot  meet  the  natural  needs  of  our  hetero- 
geneous population  ;  that  in  so  far  as  we  compel  a  child 
to  study  a  subject  that  he  instinctively  dislikes,  and  in 
which  he  cannot  succeed,  we  stimulate  his  aversion  to 
intellectual  pursuits;  that  those  who  can  master  the 
sciences  but  not  the  languages,  or  the  languages  but  not 
mathematics,  are  as  much  entitled  to  the  fostering  care 
of  the  State  in  their  education  as  those  who  can  become 
adepts  in  all  three  —  science,  language,  and  mathe- 
matics."^ 

1  "Educational  Review,"  Vol.  x.,  p.  20. 


164  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reduced  to  its  lowest  terms,  this  argument  simply 
comes  to  this ;  Let  a  boy  study  only  what  tickles  his  in- 
tellectual palate ;  let  him  put  aside  everything  that  pre- 
sents difficulties ;  let  him  intensify  the  weaknesses  as 
well  as  the  strengths  which  he  inherits.  It  would  not  l)e 
difficult  to  forecast  the  results  of  such  a  system  of  educa- 
tion. It  would  develop  men  weak  intellectually,  or  strong 
only  in  some  special  line,  and  weaker  morally  —  men 
without  the  moi'al  fiber  to  dare  and  to  do,  to  fight,  and,  if 
need  be,  to  die,  for  what  is  right.  An  education  that 
trains  men  to  avoid  difficulties  is  not  the  education  that 
is  needed  for  life.  The  education  we  require  is  the  edu- 
cation that  enables  a  man  to  see  clearly  the  object  he 
ought  to  attain,  and  for  the  sake  of  that  object,  no  mat- 
ter how  distasteful  the  struggle,  to  overcome  all  difficul- 
ties. Francis  Bacon  held  different  views  from  those  of 
the  advocates  of  unrestrained  freedom  in  the  choice  of 
subjects  of  study.  "  There  is  no  stond  or  impediment  in 
the  wit,"  he  says,  "  but  may  be  wrought  out  by  fit  stu- 
dies, like  as  diseases  of  the  body  may  have  appropriate 
exercises.  .  .  .  So,  if  a  man's  wit  be  wandering,  let  him 
study  the  mathematics ;  for  in  demonstrations,  if  his  wit 
be  called  away  never  so  little,  he  must  begin  again ;  if  his 
wit  be  not  apt  to  distinguish  or  find  differences,  let  him 
study  the  schoolmen ;  if  he  be  not  ajjt  to  beat  over  mat- 
ters, and  to  call  upon  one  thing  to  prove  and  illustrate 
another,  let  him  study  the  lawyer's  cases.  So  every 
defect  of  the  mind  may  have  a  special  receipt." 

Two  influences  will  probably  prevent  the  tendency 
toward  electives  in  the  school  from  proceeding  too  far. 
One  of  these  is  the  saving  common  sense  of  the  people, 
who  are  quick  to  detect  and  to  cure  the  vagaries  of  pro- 
fessional educators.  The  other  is  the  restraining  influ- 
ence of  the  college ;  for,  while  the  entrance  examination 
is  yet  very  far  from  being  ideal,  it  will  always  be  a  guide, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  to  the  schools ;  and  the  influence 


ADDRESS.  1G5 

of  the  college  always  has  been,  and  probably  always  will 
be,  conservative. 

And  yet  we  are  confronted  with  a  most  serious  diffi- 
culty. On  the  one  hand,  we  have  a  multitude  of  subjects 
that  must  be  taught ;  on  the  other  hand,  we  see  the  im- 
possibility of  teaching  all  of  them  with  advantage  to 
each  pupil.  Is  there  no  middle  course!  Is  there  no 
means  of  determining  what  subjects  are  necessary  to  all 
13upils,  and  what  subjects  may  be  freely  left  to  choice  ! 

Dr.  Harris,  in  writing  the  Report  of  the  Committee  of 
Fifteen  on  the  Correlation  of  Studies,  has,  in  my  judg- 
ment, given  us  the  test  by  which  to  determine  what  are 
the  essential  studies  for  both  the  elementary  and  the  sec- 
ondary school.  "  Fourthly  and  chiefly,"  he  says,  "  your 
Committee  understands  by  correlation  of  studies  the  se- 
lection and  arrangement  in  orderly  sequence  of  such  ob- 
jects of  study  as  shall  give  the  child  an  insight  into  the 
world  that  he  lives  in,  and  a  command  over  its  resources 
such  as  is  obtained  by  a  helpful  cooperation  with  one's 
fellows.  In  a  word,  the  chief  consideration  to  which  all 
others  are  to  be  subordinated  is  this  requirement  of  the 
civilization  into  which  the  child  is  boi-n,  as  determining 
not  only  what  he  shall  study  in  school,  but  what  habits 
and  customs  he  shall  be  taught  in  the  family  Ix^fore  the 
school  age  arrives."  If  this  principle, —  the  efficacy  of  a 
subject  of  study  in  giving  the  student  an  insight  into  the 
civilization  in  which  he  lives, —  if  this  principle  be  ac- 
cepted as  the  chief  determinant  in  building  com-ses  of 
study,  it  ought  not  to  be  difficult  to  reach  a  conclusion  as 
to  what  are  the  essential  studies. 

In  the  first  place  it  is  evident  that  our  civilization  can- 
not spare  any  of  the  subjects  in  the  traditional  curriculum 
of  the  elementary  school.  Reading,  wiiting,  composition, 
arithmetic,  geography,  drawing,  and  the  history  of  our 
own  country  are  most  assuredly  essential  subjects.  To 
these  I  am  disposed  to  add,  for  the  elementary  grades, 
11* 


166  UNION    COLLEGE. 

manual  training  and  familiar  experiments  in  science. 
Science  has  given  us  the  wonderful  inventions  that  have 
almost  revolutionized  life  in  the  nineteenth  century.  At 
least  a  beginning  in  the  ways  of  science  should  be  made, 
therefore,  by  every  child.  Every  man  should  know  some- 
thing of  wood-working  and  iron-working  tools ;  and  every 
woman  something  of  sewing  and  cooking.  The  time  has 
arrived  when  the  eye  may  no  longer  say  to  the  hand,  "  I 
have  no  need  of  thee." 

In  the  secondary  school  the  essential  studies  are  litera- 
ture, science,  mathematics,  and  history. 

By  literature  I  do  not  mean  the  desultory  reading  of  a 
little  modern  prose  and  poetry,  but  a  study,  more  or  less 
careful,  of  characteristic  pieces  of  the  world's  literature. 
Every  boy  should  know  his  Homer  in  English,  even  if 
he  never  reads  it  in.  G-reek.  Every  boy  should  read  some 
of  Plato's  dialogues  that  he  may  learn  how  to  examine 
theories.  Every  boy  should  read  his  Shakspere,  because 
there,  if  anywhere,  the  passions  may  be  purified,  to  use 
Aristotle's  words,  by  pity  and  terror.  Every  boy  should 
read  his  Bible,  because  the  Bible  has  been  the  most  po- 
tent agent  for  civilization  during  the  last  two  thousand 
years,  and  because  scriptural  language  runs  like  a  golden 
thread  through  all  modern  literature.  And  yet  a  distin- 
guished professor  of  English  at  Harvard  has  told  me 
that  he  rarely  finds  one  of  his  students  who  can  explain 
the  Biblical  allusions  in  Shakspere.  The  boy  who  has 
acquired  a  taste  for  Homer,  Shakspere,  and  the  Bible 
will  not  fail  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  Dante, 
Goethe,  Swift,  and  the  great  moderns.  The  great  world- 
literature  contains  the  record  of  the  development  of 
man's  spiritual  nature.  And  what  is  our  civilization  but 
the  concrete  result  of  this  development  f  Without  know- 
ing something  of  the  world-literature,  man  may  dig,  and 
eat,  and  sleep,  and  buy,  and  sell,  but  he  will  have  little 
understanding  of  the  civilization  into  which  he  is  born. 


ADDRESS.  167 

With  tliat  literature  his  life  will  be  fuller,  more  useful, 
and  more  joyous. 

It  would  lead  me  too  far  afield,  and  I  have  already  con- 
sumed too  nuieli  of  your  time,  were  I  to  give  the  reasons 
why  I  regard  mathematics  (algebra  and  geometry),  his- 
tory, especially  the  history  of  institutions,  and  science 
(physics  and  chemistry)  as,  in  addition  to  literature,  the 
essential  studies  of  the  high  school. 

There  are  those  who  claim  that  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages  ought  to  be  included  in  the  list  of  essential 
subjects.  Dr.  Harris,  for  instance,  argues  elaborately 
that  we  cannot  understand  anything  fully  until  we  study 
its  embryology;  and  that,  since  we  have  derived  our 
ideas  of  law  and  order  from  Rome,  and  our  ideas  of 
beauty  and  taste  from  Greece,  we  are  studying,  in  the 
languages  of  these  two  countries,  the  embryology  of 
many  of  the  most  important  features  of  our  civilization. 
The  answer  to  this  argument  is  that  we  have  borrowed 
from  the  Hebrew  civilization  quite  as  much  as  from  the 
civilizations  of  Greece  and  Rome,  and  that  we  have  never 
considered  it  necessary  that  all  should  study  Hebrew  in 
order  to  understand  quite  clearly  the  mandates  of  ethics 
and  the  doctrines  of  religion. 

Bat,  some  one  answers,  you  can  never  gain  a  true  con- 
ception of  any  great  work  of  literature  unless  you  read 
it  in  the  original  tongue.  This  is  doubtless  true,  at  least 
in  part ;  but  it  is  true,  if  at  all,  only  of  those  who  have 
learned  to  think  in  that  tongue  whatever  it  may  be. 
Ninety-nine  one-hundredths  of  all  college  graduates,  it 
would  be  safe  to  say,  have  not  learned  to  think  in  Greek. 
They  do  not  and  cannot  appreciate  ^Eschylus  or  Demos- 
thenes in  Greek ;  that  is,  they  do  not  appreciate  ^schylus 
or  Demosthenes,  as  they  appreciate  Tennyson  or  Brown- 
ing. What  they  do  appreciate,  when  with  painful  efforts 
they  seek  to  interpret  the  text,  are  not  the  transcendent 
beauties  of  Greek  style,  but  those  beauties  as  dimly  re- 


168  UNION    COLLEGE. 

fleeted,  or  distorted,  in  their  own  bald  and  meager  trans- 
lations. The  great  majority  of  those  who  study  Latin 
and  Greek,  study  the  literature  not  in  the  original  but 
in  their  own  translations.  As  the  literature  must,  there- 
fore, in  nearly  all  cases  be  studied  in  poor  translations, 
why  not  have  good  translations  at  once  ? 

If,  then,  we  are  to  regard  literature,  mathematics,  his- 
tory, and  physics  and  chemistry,  as  the  essential  subjects 
in  the  secondary  school,  what  are  those  which  may  be  left 
to  choice  1  Popular  demand,  at  least  in  the  large  cities, 
has,  it  would  seem,  already  determined  what  the  elective 
courses  shall  be.  The  people  demand  from  the  high 
schools  three  classes  of  students: 

1.  Those  who  are  well  trained  in  the  classical  languages, 
and  who  are  prepared  to  meet  in  these  departments  of 
knowledge  the  most  exacting  requirements  of  the  colleges. 

2.  Those  who  are  well  trained  in  commercial  subjects, 
such  as  book-keeping,  commercial  correspondence,  and 
commercial  law. 

3.  Those  who  have  had  special  training  of  hand  and 
eye,  who  understand  and  can  make  machinery,  who, 
though  they  may  not  be  adepts  in  any  particular  trade, 
comprehend  thoroughly  the  principles  that  underlie  all 
trades — who  can  give  the  touch  of  the  artist  to  the  work 
of  the  artisan. 

In  a  word,  our  civilization  demands  that  its  educated 
men,  no  matter  what  their  walk  in  life,  should  have  the 
exactness  that  comes  from  mathematical  study,  the  prac- 
tical knowledge  that  flows  from  science,  the  political 
knowledge  that  flows  from  history,  and  the  culture  that 
flows  from  the  essentially  humanizing  study  of  literature. 
Our  civilization  does  not  demand  that  all  men  should  be 
merchants,  but  it  does  demand  many  men  who  have  had 
special  training  in  the  usages  of  commerce.  Our  civiliza- 
tion does  not  demand  that  all  men  shall  be  machinists  or 


ADDRESS.  169 

designers  or  inventors;  but  it  does  demand  many  men 
who  have  a  theoretical  as  well  as  a  practical  knowledge 
of  the  mechanic  ai'ts.  Our  civilization  does  not  demand 
that  all  men  should  be  classical  scholars ;  or  even  that  all 
should  have  a  smattering  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  tongues ; 
but  it  does  demand  that  some  men  should  be  great  classi- 
cal scholars,  worthy  interpreters  to  their  fellows  of  the 
contributions  made  by  the  peoples  of  antiquity  to  the  evo- 
lution of  society  as  a  whole  and  of  man  as  an  individual. 
It  is  the  province  of  the  secondary  school  to  present  op- 
portunities to  these  various  types  of  men  to  commence 
the  study  of  their  appropriate  subjects.  But  the  mission 
of  the  school  is  not  ended  even  here.  It  is  the  duty  of 
the  school  to  see,  as  far  as  possible,  that  each  student,  in 
addition  to  the  essential  subjects,  is  studying  that  special 
group  of  subjects  for  which  he  is  best  fitted  by  nature. 
The  secondary  school  is  the  place  where  the  choice  among 
the  many  paths  that  stretch  through  life  must  V)e  made. 
A  mistake  here  is  well  nigh  irreparable.  A  mistake  here 
is  an  injury  not  only  to  the  individual  but  to  society;  for 
of  all  the  ailments  from  which  society  suifers  there  is  per- 
haps none  more  weakening  than  the  wrong  distribution  of 
talent.  There  are  legislators,  both  State  and  National,  who 
ought  certainly  to  be  making  shoes  or  following  the  plow 
or  breaking  stones,  and  there  are  shoemakers  well  fitted 
by  nature  to  be  legislators.  There  are  principals  of  schools 
who  ought  to  be  selling  ribbons;  there  are  men  selling 
ribbons  who  ought  to  be  principals  of  schools.  There  are 
men  in  the  pulpit  who  ought  to  be  physicians  or  lawyers ; 
and  there  are  physicians  and  lawj^ers  who  ought  to  be 
something  entirely  different.  What  a  change  there  would 
be,  not  merely  in  the  distribution  of  wealth,  not  merely 
in  increased  produ(.'tion  from  labor,  but  in  the  happiness, 
the  morality,  the  general  well-being  of  mankind,  if  every 
man  were  set  to  that  kind  of  work  which  he  can  do  best. 


170  UNION    COLLEGE. 

And  there  is  no  other  agency  which  has  an  opportunity 
equal  to  that  possessed  by  the  secondary  school  to  bring 
about  this  consummation  so  devoutly  to  be  desired. 

Another  great  change  that  has  been  working  itself  out 
during  the  last  hundred  years  is  a  change  in  methods  of 
teaching.  This  change  appears,  first,  in  the  better  adap- 
tation of  the  subject-matter  to  the  pupil's  mind ;  second, 
in  the  opportunities  given  to  the  pupil  to  observe,  to  com- 
pare, and  to  reason,  instead  of  merely  to  memorize  words, 
words,  words ;  and  third,  in  the  attempts  now  being  made, 
under  the  influence  of  the  philosophy  of  Herbart,  to  coor- 
dinate various  studies :  that  is,  so  to  arrange  the  instruc- 
tion that  the  study  of  one  subject  shall  support  and  throw 
light  on  the  study  of  every  other  subject. 

Another  great  change  during  the  century  is  the  slow 
but  steady  growth  of  the  idea  that  the  only  sure  and  cer- 
tain way  of  improving  our  schools  is  by  providing  train- 
ing for  our  teachers.  State  Normal  Schools  are  a  compara- 
tively recent  growth.  It  was  not  until  1839  that  the  first 
State  Normal  School  was  established  in  Massachusetts,  and 
not  until  1844  that  a  similar  institution  was  established  in 
New  York.  In  the  year  1895,  however,  our  legislature 
enacted  a  statute  which,  in  this  matter  at  least,  places  the 
Empire  State  in  advance  of  all  her  sister  commonwealths. 
Seven  years  ago,  at  a  meeting  of  the  State  Council  of 
Superintendents  held  in  Albany,  I  had  the  honor  to  offer 
a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  Council  should  present 
to  the  Legislature  a  bill  requiring  that,  after  a  certain 
date,  no  teacher  should  be  licensed  or  employed  in  the 
public  schools  of  any  city  or  village  of  this  State  who  had 
not  had  three  years'  successful  experience  in  teaching,  or, 
in  lieu  thereof,  graduated  from  a  high  school  and  spent  at 
least  one  school-year  in  professional  training.  That  meas- 
ure has  three  times  passed  the  Legislature.  Once  it  was 
purposely  permitted  to  die  by  the  failure  of  Governor  Hill 
to  affix  his  official  signature.    Once  it  was  vetoed  by  Gov- 


ADDRESS.  171 

enior  Flower.  In  the  year  1895  it  was  passed  Ijy  the  Le- 
gishitiire  and  signed  by  Governor  Morton.  All  honor  to 
Governor  Morton  ! 

One  otliei-  great  change  there  has  been.  When  Union 
College  was  founded  but  little  provision  had  been  made 
for  the  elementary  education,  and  none  for  the  higher  ed- 
ucation, of  girls.  Now  the  number  of  girls  in  the  secon- 
dary schools  of  the  laud  far  exceeds  the  number  of  boys ; 
and  the  number  of  young  women  in  college  is  rapidly  in- 
ci-easing.  Who  can  calculate  the  benefits  that  are  to  ac- 
crue from  the  diffusion  of  culture,  from  enhanced  educa- 
tional power,  among  the  mothers  of  the  land  ?  Not  the 
college,  not  the  secondary  school,  not  the  elementary 
school,  but  the  mother,  may  be  the  greatest  educator. 

The  gi'eat  educational  movements  of  the  last  one  hun- 
dred years  have  been  the  movement  to  remove  education 
from  ecclesiastical  and  private  control  and  to  place  it 
under  23ublic  control;  the  movement  to  reform  the  curric- 
ulum, first  by  extending  it,  and  then  by  introducing  the 
elective  system  under  proper  limitations ;  the  movement 
to  improve  methods  of  teaching  by  introducing  individual 
research  and  coordinating  the  subjects  of  study ;  and  the 
movement  to  place  the  advantages  of  education,  from  the 
kindergarten  to  the  university,  within  the  reach  of  all, 
women  as  well  as  men.  And  this  last  movement  is  bound 
to  foster  another,  wiiich,  though  still  in  its  infancy,  will 
necessarily  condition  all  the  others  —  the  movement  to 
study  that  most  complex  and  delicate  of  all  the  mechan- 
isms created  by  God  —  the  human  child. 


ADDRESS 

BY  REV.  C.  F.  P.  BANCROFT,  LL.  D. 

Principal  of  Phillips  Aiidovvr  Academy. 

WHEN,  through  the  favor  and  courtesy  of  your  hon- 
ored President  and  those  associated  with  him  in 
making  up  the  program  of  this  beautiful  academic  fes- 
tival, I  was  invited  to  take  part  in  this  conference,  follow- 
ing the  formal  addresses  with  some  informal  remarks,  I 
felt  constrained  to  accept  the  honor  out  of  admiration 
for  this  university,  and  I  assumed  that  I  should  be  per- 
mitted, and  perhaps  expected,  to  speak  of  the  work  of 
the  academies  in  the  secondary  field,  partly  on  account 
of  my  long  and  intimate  connection  with  a  representative 
school  of  this  particular  type,  partly  because  Union  Col- 
lege rests  upon  an  academy  which,  was  established  ten 
years  earlier  and  which  was  merged  in  the  college  when 
the  latter  was  founded,  and  more  particularly  because 
during  the  last  century  the  college  has  received  a  large 
portion  of  its  pupils  from  this  source  of  supply,  and 
doubtless  must  do  so  in  the  future  to  a  very  considerable 
extent. 

The  proper  scope  of  secondary  instruction  has  never 
been  well  defined  in  this  country.  The  limits  between 
primary  and  secondary  subjects,  and  between  secondary 
and  superior  studies,  have  shifted.     This  is  not  strange. 


ADDKESS.  173 

The  country  is  still  new,  it  has  always  been  wide,  and  at 
the  first  it  was  very  poor.  Those  circumstances  have 
delayed  a  careful  separation  and  a  close  articulation  of 
the  various  departments  of  instruction.  The  theory  of 
educational  values  has  been  unsettled.  In  tlie  present 
period  of  educational  reorg'auization  soiik^  liiglujr  studies 
have  dipped  down  into  the  secondary  schools,  and,  partly 
by  way  of  experiment,  studies  once  regarded  as  purely 
elementary  have  shot  across  not  only  the  whole  breadth 
of  the  schools,  but  also  of  the  colleges,  and  have  emerged 
as  university  studies.  In  fact,  it  seems  to  be  chiefly  a 
question  of  method  and  rate  whether  a  study  shall  be 
considered  primary,  secondary,  collegiate,  or  graduate. 
But  there  must  be  a  true  order  of  studies,  and  by  and 
by  there  must  be  substantial  agreement  as  to  the  proper 
field  of  each  of  our  grades  of  education.  Secondary  edu- 
cation will  improve  when  that  day  comes. 

In  developing  our  secondary  education  we  have  also 
employed  many  different  instruments.  Private  instruc- 
tion has  long  obtained  in  England,  and  is  likely  to  find 
favor  more  and  more  with  us,  not  as  a  necessity,  not  as 
a  luxury,  but  on  account  of  its  flexibility  and  power  of 
individual  adaptation.  Very  early  in  our  history  "  Latin 
Schools"  or  "  Gram  mar  Schools"  were  established,  after 
the  model  of  the  English  foundation  schools.  For  the 
most  part  they  have  lost  their  distinctive  character,  hav- 
ing become  academies  in  effect,  or  more  nearly  like  our 
public  high  schools.  The  Roxbury  Latin  School,  which 
celebrated  last  week  its  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anni- 
versary, has  probably  preserved  its  independent  character 
more  nearly  than  any  other,  but  is  changed  almost  be- 
yond recognition.  In  the  last  half  of  the  last  century 
academies  were  developed  under  the  most  favoring  cir- 
cumstances. Within  the  last  sixty  years  public  high 
schools  have  been  created  in  great  numbers,  and  have 
established  themselves  with  marvelous  rapidity  in  the 


174  UNION    COLLEGE. 

confidence  of  the  people.  Recently  strictly  private 
schools  have  multiplied,  and  large  account  must  be  made 
of  them  in  any  comprehensive  survey  of  secondary  edu- 
cation. And,  finally,  a  group  of  "  schools  "  has  been  de- 
veloped, somewhat  after  the  model  of  the  newer  founda- 
tion schools  in  England,  schools  of  which  St.  Paul's  at 
Concord  and  the  Lawrenceville  School  are  the  most  famil- 
iar and  brilliant  illustrations. 

Such,  in  summary,  are  the  different  instruments  em- 
ployed in  the  secoudary  field.  We  must  recognize  them 
all ;  there  is  room  for  them  all ;  there  is  need  of  them  all. 

I  am  to  speak  particularly  of  the  academy. 

The  word  academy  has  been  somewhat  challenged ;  it 
has  been  said  to  be  too  large  and  too  ambitious.  But  it 
has  associations  derived  not  alone  from  the  fairest  scene 
in  the  Attic  plain,  the  noblest  doctrines  of  Greek  philoso- 
phy, and  the  purest  Greek  teachers,  but  others  derived 
from  the  fact  that  Milton  chose  it  in  his  tractate  on  edu- 
cation as  the  designation  of  his  ideal  school  for  the  train- 
ing of  the  best  youth,  gathered  together  for  the  most 
perfect  education ;  and  Milton  stands  for  all  that  is  noble 
in  letters,  beautiful  in  personal  character,  pathetic  in 
trial,  patriotic  in  service,  faithful  in  friendship,  and  im- 
mortal in  fame.  The  Nonconformists  adopted  the  word 
for  the  schools  which  they  established  because  they  were 
excluded  from  the  foundations  under  the  control  of  the 
Establishment,  and  thus  again  it  oljtained  a  recognized 
significance.  Of  more  immediate  interest  to  us  is  the 
fact  that  Benjamin  Franklin  adopted  the  word  when  in 
1743  he  drew  up  the  plan  for  a  higher  school  for  the  pro- 
vince of  Pennsylvania,  and  especially  for  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  —  a  school  which  was  known  for  only  a  few 
years  as  an  academy,  then  as  a  college,  and  now  as  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  —  a  proud  institution  which 
takes  for  its  official  date  not  the  year  of  its  own  charter, 


ADDRESS.   •  17") 

iiov  tliat  of  the  college,  nor  yet  that  of  the  academy,  but 
goes  V)at'k  to  1740,  when  the  original  charitable  school 
which  Franklin  reorganized  as  an  academy  was  estab- 
lished, thus  making  the  life  of  the  university  venerable 
among  the  universities  of  our  land.  The  title  "  Academy," 
therefore,  has  in  it  the  memory  not  oidy  of  Plato  and 
Milton,  but  also  of  tlie  sagacious,  the  })ractical,  the  enter- 
prising, the  benevolent  and  patriotic  Franklin,  whose 
gifts  for  the  promotion  of  learning  in  America  have 
proved  so  fruitful  and  enduring. 

A  little  later  than  Franklin's  academy  in  Philadelphia 
there  was  a  movement  toward  the  foundation  of  a  great 
secondary  school  in  Massachusetts,  and  the  name  academy, 
after  much  deliberation,  was  adoj^ted  Ijy  the  Phillips  fam- 
ily for  their  Andover  institution.  It  was  a  new  school, 
and  a  new  kind  of  a  school.  The  idea  and  the  name  at 
once  prevailed.  In  Massachusetts  alone  more  than  a 
hundred  academy  charters  were  granted.  The  State  of 
New  Hampshire  and  the  province  of  Maine  took  up  the 
idea,  and  the  academies  at  Exeter,  New  Ipswich,  Frye- 
burg,  Atkinson,  and  elsewhere  were  started.  Subse- 
quently hundreds  of  similar  schools  were  planted  in  New 
England,  in  New  York,  in  Ohio,  and  later  in  the  far 
West,  and  to  some  extent  in  the  South.  In  many  cases 
the  Andover  constitution  was  adopted  almost  bodily. 
The  founders  lived  to  see  in  their  own  generation  the 
fulfilment  of  the  ^ash  expressed  in  their  original  gift  to 
Phillips  Academy,  viz.,  that  "its  usefulness  may  be  so 
manifest  as  to  lead  the  way  to  other  establishments  on 
the  same  principles."  Up  to  the  time  when  the  public 
high  school  became  an  integral  part  of  our  school  sys- 
tems, the  academy  was  the  princij)al  agency  of  secondary 
education.  It  is  still  a  large  factor.  The  academy  went 
before  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  high  school,  and 
made  the  high  school  possible  by  creating  the  demand 


176  UNION    COLLECxE. 

for  it.  The  development  of  the  academy  was  a  true  re- 
vival of  learning,  and  an  epoch-making  event  in  American 
education. 

***** 

The  typical  academy  is  a  school  devoted  to  secondary 
education.  It  has  been  said  to-day  that  in  many  cases 
academies  have  been  nondescript,  have  exceeded  their 
province,  have  attempted  college  work.  It  is  true  that 
at  times,  and  under  peculiar  pressure,  they  have  attempted 
to  dignify  themselves  and  enrich  their  courses  by  teach- 
ing subjects  which  belong  elsewhere.  Some  apology  and 
explanation  have  been  given  already.  The  temptation  has 
often  been  great,  but  the  typical  academy  confines  itself 
to  its  own  specific  work,  and  thereby  seeks  to  benefit 
its  own  and  the  coming  generations.  It  is  not  a  college, 
nor  a  part  of  a  college.  If  ever  it  has  wandered  from  its 
own  field,  it  has  been  partly  due  to  the  uncertainty  of 
boundary  already  alluded  to,  and  partly  to  the  urgency 
of  the  demand  for  the  higher  education.  So  far  as  the 
academy  has  yielded  to  the  temptation  it  has  ceased  to 
be  a  true  academy.  In  adjusting  itself  to  the  new  de- 
mands and  the  new  conception  of  secondary  education, 
it  has  shown  its  capacity  to  meet  any  just  requirement 
which  the  new  education  may  lay  upon  it,  and  to  main- 
tain its  place  in  our  school  systems.  It  is  neither  out- 
grown nor  outworn. 

The  academy  is  an  incorporated  and  endowed  institu- 
tion. It  is  not  a  private  venture  for  profit,  nor  a  personal 
memorial,  nor  a  neighborhood  convenience,  nor  a  pro- 
moter's device  for  raising  values.  It  is  under  the  aegis  of 
the  State  like  the  colleges,  and  therefore  a  public  founda- 
tion. It  is  endowed  like  our  colleges,  and  therefore  a 
charity.  It  is  incorporated  that  it  may  acquire  and  con- 
serve the  resources  necessary  to  give  it  stability,  dignity, 
and  efficiency.  It  is  under  the  visitation  and  control  of 
the  State  that  it  may  not  waste  or  divert  its  funds,  and 


ADDRESS.  177 

thereby  fail  to  subserve  the  interests  of  the  Commonwealth. 
It  receives  the  gifts  of  public-spirited  and  generous  citi- 
zens and  holds  them  in  perpetuity  for  the  good  of  all. 
It  is,  therefore,  as  truly  i)ublic  as  our  colleges,  or  as  the 
so-called  great  ])ul)Uc  schools  of  England — Eton,  Harrow, 
Rugby,  and  the  rest.  The  attempt  to  dis))arage  the  aca- 
demy by  calling  it  a  private  institution  is  to  ignore  the 
motives  which  created  it,  the  spirit  in  which  it  has  been 
administered,  and  the  work  which  it  has  done. 

The  academy  is  historically  a  religions  institution.' 
The  occasion  for  its  establishment,  as  graphically  stated 
by  Dr.  Alexander  in  his  discourse  yesterday,  was  the  de- 
cline of  learning  and  religion  in  the  colonies.  The  motive 
for  its  establishment,  as  stated  by  Frauklin  and  the  Phil- 
lipses  was  threefold, —  philauthropic,  patriotic,  religious. 
The  youth  of  the  land  were  to  be  educated  for  the  sake 
of  their  individual  welfare  and  happiness ;  the  State  was 
to  be  saved  from  the  dangers  of  prevailing  ignorance, 
provided  with  competent  magistrates,  and  set  forward 
in  wealth  and  power;  the  Christian  religion  was  to  be 
inculcated,  and  its  influences  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
youthful  mind,  by  means  of  wholesome  associations  and 
the  instructions  and  example  of  able  and  devout  teachers. 
Franklin  emphasized  the  patriotic  motive,  but  did  not 
omit  the  other  two.  The  Phillipses  emphasized  the  re- 
ligious motive,  but  gave  full  weight  to  the  three.  Clergy- 
men and  Churches  have  always  had  much  to  do  with  our 
academies,  but  to  a  surprisingly  small  degree  has  sectarian 
influence  usurped  the  place  of  religious  influence.  They 
have  often  been  planted  and  fostered  by  denominations, 
but  learning  is  catholic,  and  the  schools  have  ministered 
to  faith  rather  than  to  dogma.  The  academy  has  been 
religious  through  and  through  because  administered  by 
religious  men. 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  place  of  religion  in  edu- 
cation, but  we  are  in  great  danger  of  missing  the  real 
12 


178  UNION    COLLEGE. 

point.  A  school  cannot  be  made  Christian  simply  by 
putting  it  under  ecclesiastical  control.  The  reverent  re- 
petition of  prayers  will  not  make  a  Christian  school,  just 
as  writing  the  word  God  into  the  Constitution  will  not 
make  a  Christian  nation.  Religious  influences  proceed 
by  a  different  law.  They  are  the  most  vital  in  the  world. 
They  cannot  be  taught  like  mathematics.  We  make  a 
great  mistake,  therefore,  when  we  think  that  there  can  be 
no  religious  teaching  except  by  a  prelate,  or  according  to  a 
creed,  or  by  use  of  a  ritual.  The  religious  life  of  a  school 
is  in  its  teachers  far  more  than  in  its  teaching. 

As  I  walked  this  morning  through  the  beautiful  domain 
of  this  college,  I  said  to  myself.  How  easy  to  destroy  its 
religious  character  in  spite  of  all  its  original  purpose 
and  its  history,  simply  by  giving  the  appointing  power 
over  into  the  hands  of  some  enemy  of  religion.  Equip 
your  professorships  with  agnostics,  with  atheists,  with 
profligates,  and  Union  College  will  cease  to  be  the  mother 
of  bishops  and  ministers  and  God-fearing  men  in  all  the 
other  noble  walks  of  life.  It  is  the  influence  of  men  like 
Tayler  Lewis  and  Laurens  P.  Hickok,  who  have  loved  God 
and  their  fellow-men,  who  have  done  their  duty  day  by 
day  without  the  slightest  pretense  of  sanctity,  who  have 
gone  in  and  out  amid  these  precincts  hallowed  by  the 
memories  of  the  great  and  the  good,  and  in  their  turn  have 

girded  their  spirits  or  deepened  the  streams 
That  make  glad  the  fair  city  of  God. 

It  is  the  influence  of  these  profoundly  religious  men  that 
has  made  this  a  truly  Christian  college,  has  delivered  it 
from  a  narrow  sectarianism,  and  caused  it  to  stand 
against  the  unfaith  and  the  heresies  of  the  world. 

The  academies,  removed  from  political  control,  pro- 
tected from  frequent  and  sudden  changes  of  administra- 
tion, identified  by  their  traditions  and  often  by  the  terms 


ADDRESS.  179 

of  their  charters  with  the  spirit  and  work  of  the  Churches, 
are  in  a  peculiar  position  of  vantage  in  tlie  selection  of 
teachers  and  the  maintenance  of  a  strong  and  wliolesome 
religious  life.  What  might  at  first  seem  to  be  a  limitation 
has  proved  to  be  a  safeguard  of  piety,  and  a  liberalizing 
factor  in  the  cultivation  of  both  mind  and  lieart. 

The  academy  is  an  institution  free  from  local  control. 
I  speak  of  this  with  a  degree  of  diffidence  after  the  able 
address  of  the  morning.  It  is  true  that  a  school  cannot 
thrive  except  in  friendly  environment,  nor  can  it  prosper 
if  it  does  not  adapt  itself  to  real  and  present  needs.  It 
is  suicide  to  relieve  a  school  from  the  support  of  its 
alumni,  the  considerate  gifts  of  its  friends,  the  watchful 
sympathy  and  regards  of  all  who  are  concerned  in  it. 
The  oversight  of  its  trustees  must  be  wide  and  liberal. 
The  strength  of  the  academies  has  been  in  the  fact  that 
they  were  not  planted  for  narrow  communities,  but  "for 
mankind."  Like  the  colleges,  they  were  made  equal  to 
the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  humanity,  and  they  wel- 
comed to  themselves  pupils  from  every  quarter  and  gave 
them  of  their  best.  One  of  the  advantages  they  have 
claimed  over  some  other  schools  has  been  that  they  bring 
together,  on  terms  of  intellectual  and  social  cooperation, 
pupils  from  a  wide  range  of  territory  and  previous  train- 
ing and  future  career,  in  a  republic  of  letters.  A  good 
academy  is  above  local  dictation,  individual  whims,  and 
private  requirements.  Its  governing  board,  its  teaching 
staff,  its  student  body,  its  rightful  constituency,  are  too 
large  and  too  intelligent  to  submit  to  caprice  and  preju- 
dice, whether  of  individual  parent  or  pupil.  The  fact 
that  it  is  not  under  local  constraints  makes  it  free  and 
independent. 

The  typical  academy  is  not  designed  for  the  classes. 
One  of  the  agents  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, himself  educated  in  a  Normal  School,  at  one  time 
made   the   public   statement   that   the   academies   were 


180  UNION    COLLEGE. 

planted  for  the  rich,  but  I  am  happy  to  see  that  the  state- 
ment was  subsequently  withdrawn  or  modified.  These 
schools  were  benevolent  from  the  outset.  To  make  it 
possible  to  give  the  best  education  at  a  moderate  cost,  en- 
dowments were  sought.  The  fees  have  been  kept  at  a 
figure  much  below  the  actual  cost.  The  instruction  has 
been  so  good  that  the  sons  of  the  most  favored  have  re- 
sorted to  them ;  they  have  been  so  accessible  that  the  sons 
of  the  humblest  and  poorest  might  aspire  to  their  priv- 
ileges. Special  funds  for  students'  aid  have  been  gener- 
ously provided  for  those  in  pecuniary  straits.  The  acad- 
emies have  been  as  truly  democratic  as  the  colleges,  which, 
in  spite  of  popular  misconception,  are  for  the  poor  rather 
than  the  rich.  In  colleges  and  academies  alike  the  ma- 
jority of  the  students  are  at  struggle  to  secure  the  means 
of  their  -education. 

Nor,  as  is  sometimes  insinuated,  are  the  academies  pro- 
vided for  educating  the  illiterate  and  incompetent.  The 
annals  of  Union  are  enough  to  refute  the  charge.  One 
great  service  of  the  academy  has  been  that  it  attracts  the 
brightest  minds,  the  most  forceful  characters,  stirs  in  them 
the  desu'e  for  liberal  education,  shows  them  the  possibility 
of  it,  prepares  them  for  it,  and  sends  them  on  into  it. 
Like  a  magnet  the  academy  draws  out  from  the  mass  of 
society  that  which  is  most  capable  of  being  put  to  the 
highest  uses. 

The  academy  provides  not  simply  for  the  brief  school 
periods  of  the  pupil,  and  that  chiefly  on  the  intellectual 
side,  but  for  the  entire  life  of  the  pupil,  seven  days  in  the 
week,  twenty-four  hours  in  the  day.  The  social  life,  the 
recreations,  the  public  worshiji,  the  manifold  and  varied 
interests  of  youth, — body,  soul,  and  spirit, —  are  included 
in  the  academy  scheme.  Many  a  boy  and  girl  coming 
out  from  good  homes  have  found  in  a  good  school  a  better 
and  safer  place  for  them  than  home.  Cut  off  from  im- 
mediate parental  advice,  thrown  back  upon  their  own  re- 


ADDRESS.  181 

sources,  forced  to  make  decisions  for  themselves,  enjoying 
a  large  measure  of  responsibility  and  freedom,  questions 
come  up  for  solution,  great  questions  for  the  first  time 
pei'haps,  the  greatest  possible  questions  about  their  per- 
sonal relations  to  God  and  duty,  and  in  many  cases  the 
most  momentous  decisions  have  been  made,  and  hence- 
forth the  spiritual  life  has  been  clear,  consistent,  and 
strong.  The  academy  has  been  a  palsetra  of  character. 
As  the  college  age  has  risen  more  and  more,  the  academy 
age  has  been  the  one  in  which  have  been  developed  and 
made  permanent  the  habits  of  manhood,  self-control,  in- 
dependence, and  enterprise.  Those  conditions  and  ele- 
ments which  have  made  the  colleges  so  useful  to  the 
country  have  been  found  measurably  in  the  academies 
and  made  them  the  means  of  the  more  general,  more 
thorough,  more  ennobling  education  of  our  people. 

The  question  is  sometimes  raised,  Shall  this  agency  give 
place  to  something  else  1  By  all  means,  if  something  bet- 
ter can  be  found.  After  you  have  provided  your  cities, 
your  towns,  and  your  larger  villages  with  the  local  means 
of  secondary  education,  there  will  be  a  wide  extent  of 
territory  and  population  unprovided  for,  including  the 
rural  districts,  out  of  which  in  the  history  of  our  country 
have  come  some  of  the  noblest  minds  and  strongest  char- 
acters. The  history  of  our  academies  shows  also  that  out 
of  our  cities,  and  from  the  shadow  of  our  best  public  and 
private  schools,  come  many  excellent  pupils  who  for  vari- 
ous reasons  have  found  academy  life  best  suited  to  their 
needs. 

I  cannot  doubt  that  Union  College,  the  outgrowth  and 
successor  of  the  Schenectady  Academy,  having  received 
a  large  proportion  of  its  pupils  from  the  academies,  and 
having  in  turn  supplied  a  great  number  of  academies 
with  successful  teachers  and  patrons  of  secondary  learn- 
ing, will  continue  to  foster  academies  in  this  and  the 
other  States,  not  to  the  neglect  or  disparagement  of  any 
12* 


182  UNION    COLLEGE. 

other  kind  of  school,  but  in  just  I'ecognition  of  a  large 
field  which  the  academy  alone  has  been  able  to  occupy 
down  to  the  present  time. 

As  I  glance  at  the  portraits  along  these  walls,  I  see  the 
faces  of  men  whose  fame  and  influence  have  been  world- 
wide. There  is  not  an  academy  of  any  importance  in  the 
land  which  has  not  felt  the  touch  of  your  great  teachers. 
Their  books  have  come  to  us,  and  their  lives  have  been 
repeated  to  us  in  the  lives  of  their  pupils.  Here  is  one  of 
your  presidents,  a  graduate  of  our  theological  seminary, 
and  a  teacher  in  our  academy.  There  is  Eliphalet  Nott, 
who  built  himself  massively  into  the  history  of  this  col- 
lege and  his  age,  and  whom  I  learned  to  admire  in  the  en- 
thusiasm and  veneration  of  a  neighbor  over  whom  I 
lately  said  the  burial  service,  a  graduate  of  our  academy 
seventy  years  ago,  and  of  your  college  more  than  sixty 
years  ago.  Dr.  Nott  prepared  himself  for  his  great  work 
here  by  founding  an  academy  in  his  early  ministry  and 
serving  as  its  principal  while  still  caring  for  his  parish. 
Time  would  fail  us  to  show  how  intimate  have  been  the 
relations  between  this  college  and  the  academies.  May 
their  mutual  helpfulness  and  interest  never  cease ! 

[This  paper  was  followed  by  an  informal  discussion  of  the  general  sub- 
ject, in  which  the  Chairman,  Rev.  Walter  Scott,  Principal  of  the  Connecticut 
Literary  Institution,  and  others  participated.] 


O^tiiicational  Conference. 


AFTERNOON  SESSION, 

Pkesident  Austin  Scott,  of  Rutgers  College, 
peesiding. 

SUBJECT  :    THE   COLLEGE. 


INTRODUCTORY   ADDRESS 

BY   PRESIDENT   SCOTT. 

UNION  COLLEGE  may  be  taken  for  granted.  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  do  as  those  who  have  preceded  me 
have  done  —  pay  the  tribute  to  her  that  she  deserves ;  but, 
as  one  passes  through  the  halls  of  Union  he  must  lift 
the  hat.  Perhaps  no  greater  tribute  could  be  paid  her 
than  to  say  that  the  subject  that  is  before  us  this  af- 
ternoon is  in  some  respects  discussed  more  fittingly  at 
Union  College  than  anywhere  else.  We  divide  time  into 
centuries ;  but  the  thought  has  come  to  me,  Is  it  not  pos- 
sible that  the  fragments  and  portions  of  time  might  be 
expressed  and  divided  by  the  ordinary  punctuation  marks? 
For  example,  some  portions  of  time  are  so  without  mean- 
ing, or  at  least  only  get  their  meaning  as  they  pass  over 


184  UNION    COLLEGE. 

into  other  portions  of  time,  that  they  might  be,  as  in  sen- 
tences, separated  from  others  by  a  comma.  There  are 
other  periods  that  are  quite  incidental,  which  might  be 
inclosed  in  brackets  or  parentheses;  and  there  are  still 
other  periods  that,  repeating  those  already  past,  might 
be  put  in  quotation  marks ;  but  the  century  that  is  just 
coming  to  a  close  may,  perhaps,  best  be  represented  by  a 
question  mark. 

We  heard  this  morning  of  many  things  that  this  cen- 
tury has  done  in  education.  It  has  done  a  great  deal  in 
political  development.  It  has  provided  the  materials  on 
all  hands  for  something  that  is  to  come  in  statecraft,  in 
religion,  in  various  departments ;  but  as  it  rounds  itself 
out,  perhaps  if  we  were  to  choose  that  which  would  typify 
this  century  most  aptly,  we  should  choose  for  its  symbol 
the  question  mark.  What  is  to  become,  politically,  of 
this  conthient  of  ours?  What  is  to  be  the  outcome  of 
all  the  elements  that  are  jostling  each  other  in  education  ! 
In  the  college  we  have  to  make  a  tripod  stand :  the  edu- 
cation of  the  mind,  of  the  soul,  and  of  the  body.  Per- 
haps for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  education  has 
it  come  about  that,  simultaneously,  these  three  parts  that 
make  up  the  whole  man  are  considered  by  those  who  are 
to  determine  what  education  is  and  is  to  be,  but  it  is  a 
question  whether  the  three  tripod-legs  are  equal,  and 
whether  those  who  are  charged  with  the  direction  of 
education  can  make  it  stand.  How  far  must  athletics 
be  made  a  part  of  the  curriculum  of  a  college  ?  How  is 
the  mind  best  trained  I  How  far  shall  moral  training  be 
a  part  of  any  scheme  for  the  perfection  of  the  college 
course?  These  are  all  matters  the  present  state  of 
which,  as  the  century  goes  out,  can  best  be  represented 
by  a  question  mark.  Another  thing:  \\Tiat  is  the  col- 
lege? I  saw  a  day  or  two  ago  in  a  newspaper  a  chal- 
lenge on  the  part  of  the  colleges  to  the  universities  to 
this  effect :  Shall  they  not  give  up  their  undergraduate 


INTRODUCTOKY  ADDRESS.  185 

work ;  shall  they  uot  confine  themselves  to  that  which  is 
true  iniiversity  work?  But  T  will  not  detain  you.  My 
function  is  simply  to  listen  while  those  who  are  pre- 
pared to  solve  some  of  these  questions  speak.  Among 
the  questions  which  the  nineteenth  century  is  to  bring  to 
the  twentieth  is  the  silver  question.  I  am  to  present  to 
you  the  man  who  knows  all  about  it.  I  doubt  whether 
there  is  a  man  within  the  four  bounds  of  our  Republic 
who  could  have  shown  the  superb  courage  that  has  been 
shown  by  my  neighbor  on  my  right  in  writing  the  his- 
tory of  the  last  twenty-five  years.  So  I  say  to  you  that 
I  bring  you  an  expert  riddle-solver  when  I  present  the 
President  of  that  honored  institution, — Brown  University. 


ADDRESS 

BY  PRESIDENT  ANDREWS. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Some  years 
ago  the  Episcopal  Bishop  Meade,  of  the  State  of 
Maine,  preached  in  a  logging  camp.  He  preached  in  his 
canonicals,  but  without  manuscript.  When  he  was  done, 
a  lumberman  remarked  that  it  was  the  first  time  he  ever 
knew  of  "  one  of  those  petticoat  fellows  to  shoot  without 
a  rest."  When  I  looked  over  your  program  and  saw  the 
formidable  announcement  of  papers  and  addresses  to  be 
presented  on  this  occasion,  I  said  to  myself,  "You  are, 
indeed,  a  rash  man  if  you  undertake  to  shoot  this  after- 
noon without  a  rest."  I  much  fear,  now  I  have  gotten  on 
my  feet  and  look  you  in  the  faces,  that  ere  I  conclude  I 
shall  need  a  rest,  and  I  am  still  surer  that  when  I  am 
done  you  will  need  one.  Not  knowing  exactly  how  formal 
or  how  popular  these  exercises  were  intended  to  be,  I 
did  not  bring  any  manuscript.  I  suppose  I  might  have 
brought  some.  I  have  in  mj  closet  a  large  amount  for 
which  I  am  responsible ;  but  I  am  bound  to  declare  that 
I  have  none  with  me  either  in  my  pocket  or  in  my  head. 
I  have,  therefore,  to  shoot  as  well  as  I  can  without  a  rest. 
When  President  Raymond  invited  me  to  be  present  and 
take  part  this  afternoon,  although  I  knew  I  should  at  this 
time  be  exceedingly  busy,  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart 
to  decline,  because  the  school  where  I  do  my  work  is 
more  indebted  to  this  institution  than  to  any  other  in 


ADDRESS.  187 

the  wide,  wide  world.  We  of  Brown  University  feel  a  very 
deep  sense  of  debt  to  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  because 
the  first  president  of  our  university  was  an  honored  grad- 
uate of  Princeton.  But  if  our  college  had  its  original 
birth  in  James  Manning,  it  had  its  second  and  greater 
birth  in  Francis  Wayland,  and  Francis  Wayland  was 
educated  in  Union  College.  Possibly  I  am  able  to  allude 
to  one  thing  pertaining  to  Wayland's  influence  which 
you  do  not  know  already.  I  suppose  the  greatest  event 
in  the  world's  political  life  the  last  year  has  been  the  war 
between  China  and  Japan.  I  fancy  that  almost  all  people 
in  the  Western  nations,  and  perhaps  nearly  all  in  Japan 
as  well,  have  been  amazed  to  see  with  what  ease  that  lit- 
tle nation  Japan  walked  away  with  the  victory.  But 
there  was  a  history  preparatory  to  that  victory,  as  there 
is  to  every  great  phenomenon  in  human  life.  Those  ac- 
quainted with  the  origin  of  Japanese  liberty  know  that 
it  rose  in  almost  exactly  the  same  way  as  did  free  Prussia 
after  the  battle  of  Jena.  Books  on  Prussia's  wonderful 
development  relate  that  it  had  its  source,  its  start,  in  the 
intellectual  movement,  headed  by  Fichte,  out  of  which 
grew  the  University  of  Berlin.  Now,  there  was  at  the 
beginning  of  the  national  development  of  Japan  a  Japa- 
nese Fichte,  a  mighty  moral  teacher  of  Japanese  youth. 
The  Fichte  of  Japan  was  that  famous  philosopher  Tuku 
Zawa. 

It  is  an  interesting  story,  too  long  to  tell  here  this  after- 
noon, how  that  great  man,  in  the  darkest  time  his  native 
land  ever  saw,  gathered  about  him,  just  as  Fichte  did  in 
Berlin,  young  men  who  had  hope  and  power,  and  taught 
them  of  their  possibilities  and  of  the  possibilities  of  the 
land  in  which  they  lived,  filling  them  with  quenchless 
zeal  for  their  people.  I  have  recently  learned  that  the 
text-book  which  Tuku  Zawa  was  wont  to  use,  whence  he 
brought  moral  inspiration,  fire,  and  ambition  iiito  the 
souls  of  those  young  men,  was  "  The  Elements  of  Moral 


188  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Science  "  by  Francis  Wayland.  We  at  Brown  University 
are  proud  of  that  fact,  as  we  are  of  everything  connected 
with  the  career  of  our  great  president,  and  it  is  out  of 
veneration  for  him  more  than  from  any  other  cause  that 
I  attend  this  anniversary. 

The  subject  which  was  in  a  more  or  less  indefinite  way 
placed  before  me,  as  indicating  the  direction  which  my 
remarks  were  expected  to  take,  was  the  college  of  the 
present  as  compared  with  the  college  in  earlier  times. 
To  it,  so  far  as  I  have  time  and  can  command  orderliness 
of  thought,  I  will  endeavor  to  aim  my  remarks. 

There  is  one  particular  in  which  collegiate  instruc- 
tion is,  to  my  mind,  distinctly  inferior  to  what  it  was, 
say,  in  Dr.  Wayland's  or  Dr.  Nott's  time, — I  mean  that  we 
make  learning  the  central  topic  of  our  interest.  The  in- 
tellect is  the  mark  at  which  we  aim  our  work.  Instead 
of  humanit}^,  instead  of  the  man,  we  are  now  after  the 
thing  which  man,  it  is  supposed,  ought  to  know.  When 
Dr.  Nott  was  chosen  president  of  Union  College,  and,  in 
subsequent  days,  when  Dr.  Wayland  was  made  president 
of  Brown  University,  educators  were  not  thinking  prima- 
rily of  furthering  human  learning  and  science.  These 
were,  of  course,  matters  of  interest,  but  not  matters  of 
central  interest.  The  main  thing  with  them  was  to  de- 
velop manhood,  to  turn  out  students  who  should  nobly 
fill  important  places  in  society.  Therefore,  when  college 
trustees  were  about  selecting  a  man  who  was  to  have  the 
direction  of  a  college,  they  looked  beyond  the  question 
of  his  learning.  Though  they  did  not  leave  learning  out 
of  the  account,  they  did  not  necessarily  choose  the  most 
learned  man.  They  desired  a  man  of  intellectual  tastes, 
but  above  all  things  they  desired  a  grand  and  splendid 
manhood  like  Dr.  Wayland's.  If  they  could  find  such  a 
man  they  placed  him  over  the  college,  so  that  the  entire 
administration  of  collegiate  work  might  have  as  its  ob- 
ject the  training  of  young  manhood  in  large  and  splen- 


ADDEESS.  189 

did  character.  Those  thoughts  gave  bent  and  dh-ectiou 
to  all  educational  work  in  Dr.  Wayland's  time.  When 
such  educators  laid  out  a  curriculum  they  filled  it  with 
drill  and  culture  studies,  the  central  thought  being  still 
human  character  and  faculty.  They  made  comparatively 
little  of  the  subject  studied ;  little  of  mere  science ;  little 
of  mere  form.  They  were  thinking  of  what  was  best 
calculated,  or  was  thought  to  be,  to  develop  manhood  in 
the  pupils.  Their  curriculum  contained  much  mathe- 
matics, the  stud}'  of  which  was  continued  right  up  to 
the  end  of  the  junior  year  and  further  if  desired.  I  be- 
lieve that  with  us  all  through  Dr.  Wayland's  time  mathe- 
matical study  was  insisted  on  quite  to  the  end  of  the 
senior  year.  I  am  not  sapng  that  the  college  authorities 
of  those  days  succeeded  in  making  the  best  curriculum 
that  could  have  been  devised  even  then  for  the  promotion 
of  the  "humanities."  That  was,  however,  their  object, 
the  great  thought  they  all  had  in  mind.  They  said, 
"Here  are  young  men  to  be  shaped  for  strong  life  by 
their  work  in  college.  What  is  the  best  curriculum  to 
put  them  through  f  What  the  best  course  that  we  can 
lay  down  for  them  to  make  them  the  strongest  and  best 
men  for  their  places  in  the  world?"  Aside  from  the 
teaching,  and  the  lessons  that  w^ere  given  them,  students 
were  incessantly  led  to  think  of  their  calling  as  men. 
Many  doctors  here  this  afternoon  will  say,  "But  we  are 
doing  those  same  things  now."  Indeed,  we  are,  and  for 
my  part  I  am  very  glad  that  we  are ;  but  I  do  not  think 
that  the  motives  which  I  have  dwelt  uj^on  are  at  all  as 
central  and  powerful  in  the  educational  practice  of  our 
time  as  in  the  educational  practice  of  fifty  or  seventy- 
five  years  ago. 

Turning  to  the  other  side  of  the  shield,  I  believe  that, 
on  the  whole,  educational  work  to-day  is  in  the  colleges 
and  universities  of  America  better  than  it  ever  was  be- 
fore.    It  is  better,  not  because  we  have  so  largely  left  out 


190  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  our  thought  that  great  central  conception  of  human 
character  and  faculty,  but  in  spite  of  that  omission.  In 
what  particulars  is  it  better?  I  cannot  mention  them 
all;  I  mention  a  few. 

In  the  first  place,  our  colleges  now  have  more  money 
than  they  had  when  Dr.  Nott  was  here  and  Dr.  Wayland 
was  at  Brown  University ;  they  have  a  great  deal  more. 
Not  all  have  as  much  as  they  would  like.  Even  Chicago 
University,  the  greatest  beggar  in  the  college  world,  wants 
more  money ;  and  we  always  shall  want  more.  [Laughter.] 
After  our  commencement,  feeling  the  need  of  recreation, 
I  attended  a  ball  game,  a  thing  I  do  frequently,  even 
when  I  don't  specially  need  recreation,  I  saw  a  fine 
game.  Three  and  a  half  innings  had  been  played  at  the 
moment  to  which  my  thought  now  goes  back,  and  neither 
side  had  sent  a  man  across  the  plate.  Just  then  some 
one  from  outside  the  iuclosure  yelled  for  information, 
"What 's  the  score f"  And  some  one  inside  the  inclos- 
ure  who  knew  shouted  back,  "Nothing  to  nothing  and 
Providence  ahead."  [Great  laughter.]  I  said  to  myself, 
"  That  is  a  most  apt  formula  to  describe  the  financial  sit- 
uation of  the  colleges  that  I  know."  [Renewed  laughter.] 
Take  Union  College  and  Brown  University  as  an  illustra- 
tion, and  I  should  say  tliat  their  score,  compared  with 
their  needs,  was  "Nothing  to  nothing  and  Brown  Uni- 
versity ahead."  [Laughter.]  Still,  though  you  might  de- 
scribe our  present  financial  situation  with  a  zero,  you 
could  easily  use  a  capital  zero,  whereas  in  good  Dr. 
Wayland's  time  you  would  have  needed  to  select  a 
"  lower  case  "  zero.  We  have  much  more  to  do  with  than 
he  had.  We  have  larger  incomes  and  we  teach  more 
subjects;  we  have  a  larger  scheme  of  education,  more 
buildings,  apparatus,  and  various  appliances  which  he 
could  not  get.  I  hope  we  make  as  good  use  of  our 
larger  resources  as  educators  in  earlier  times  made  of 
the  smaller  sums  they  had. 


ADDRESS.  191 

Secondly,  college  communities  have  better  health  tliaii 
they  once  had.  When  I  entered  this  chapel  this  afternoon 
a  small  pro«2:ram  was  handed  me  —  I  don't  say  "iiisig- 
iiificaiit,"  because  it  had  President  Tayloi-'s  name  on  it  (his 
name  is  a  program  in  itself),  and  it  contained  also  the  name 
of  the  presiding  officer.  But  it  was  not  a  large  docket  by 
any  means.  Soon  a  larger  and  fuller  order  of  exercises 
was  placed  in  my  hands  telling  of  the  athletic  contests 
which  are  to  take  place  on  these  grounds  after  we  ad- 
journ at  four  o'clock.  That  hints  at  one  of  the  best  feat- 
ures in  oui'  modern  college  life.  I  am  among  the  college 
officials  who  rejoice  in  that  athletic,  that  gymnastic  de- 
velopment which  is  taking  its  place  in  college  training. 
Now,  at  last,  educators  prize  good  health  ;  they  make  it 
a  prominent  matter  for  cultivation  that  youths'  bodies 
shall  be  strong  in  order  that  youths'  minds  may  have 
large  and  healthful  basis.  Among  the  many  saws  told 
about  President  Wayland  is  one  to  the  eifeet  that  he  al- 
ways advised  young  men,  if  they  wished  to  keep  well,  to 
rise  early  in  the  morning  and  take  long  walks.  He  knew 
that  none  would  do  it,  but  then  it  was  good  advice.  All 
our  old  graduates  remember  that  precept  to  this  day, 
though  not  one  of  them  ever  followed  it.  By  that  coun- 
sel President  Wayland  in  effect  anticipated  all  this  mod- 
ern health-cultivation  within  the  college.  President  Way- 
land  laid  greater  stress  on  the  very  important  matter  of 
the  students'  health  than  most  of  the  men  in  charge  of 
higher  education  in  his  day.  But  the  professors  associ- 
ated with  him  thought  little  of  it,  and  in  consequence  at 
Brown  University  you  have  to  come  down  to  compara- 
tively recent  times  to  find  any  systematic  attention  paid 
to  the  physical  training  of  students.  Now,  however,  im- 
provement has  come,  and  our  students  are  forced,  if  they 
do  not  do  it  voluntarily,  to  take  time  for  the  upbuilding 
of  their  physical  powers.  The  same  can  be  said  of  every 
well-equipped  college  in  this  country.     The  physical  de- 


192  UNION    COLLEGE. 

velopment  of  young  people  in  college  is  no  longer  neg- 
lected. The  average  youngster  in  college  is,  I  believe, 
made  healthier,  bodily,  during  each  of  the  four  years  of 
his  sojourn  there.  We  can  prove  that  we  actually  cure  a 
great  many  of  the  diseases  which  young  men  bring  to  col- 
lege ;  and  that  we  turn  the  youug  man  who  has  no  disease 
out  of  college  at  the  end  of  his  course  in  a  condition  in 
which  he  is  less  likely  to  contract  one  than  he  was  when 
he  entered,  or  would  have  been  if  he  had  not  entered. 
Something  is  added  to  the  life-probability  of  all  youug 
people  who  go  through  college.  On  an  average  they  will 
live  longer,  do  more  work,  work  with  less  discomfort  and 
grumbling  than  if  they  had  not  been  students.  Just 
think,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  how  much  it  must  mean  for 
the  future  of  our  country  if  anything  like  that  is  true, 
touching  our  institutions  of  high  learning.  I  believe  that 
it  is  true,  and  will  be  still  more  true  as  physical  train- 
ing Vjecomes  more  and  more  an  organic  part  of  college 
education. 

Total  wreck  often  follows  neglect  of  the  physical  in  a 
student's  life.  An  educated  mind  may  be  worthless  if 
handicapped  by  a  diseased  and  emaciated  body.  I  have 
an  illustration  in  mind  at  this  moment.  A  young  colle- 
gian had  won  the  highest  laurels  of  his  class.  He  was  a 
si)lendid  scholar.  His  equal  had  scarcely  been  known  in 
the  history  of  his  college.  He  had  broken  the  record  in 
almost  all  studies.  Students  looked  at  him  in  amazement 
and  said,  "  There  goes  So-and-so ;  his  record  in  Latin  was 
so-and-so ;  his  record  in  Greek  was  so-and-so."  Every 
old  graduate  took  off  his  hat  to  him.  So  much  for  the 
development  of  his  mind ;  but  what  of  his  body  I  I  will 
tell  you:  When  he  stood  upon  the  graduating  platform 
to  pronounce  the  valedictory  address,  being  taken  with 
hemorrhage  at  the  nose  he  was  carried  helpless  from  the 
platform  and  all  day  they  hardly  knew  whether  he  would 
live  or  die.    And  though  he  was  a  good  fellow  and  meant 


ADDRESS.  193 

to  do  good,  it  made  little  difference  to  the  world  whether 
he  lived  or  died,  for  he  has  accomplished  nothing  from 
that  day  to  this.  He  is  a  walking  skeleton,  with  no  hope 
of  ever  being  anything  else.  You  reniendjor,  perhaps,  a 
remark  once  made  in  the  Senate  Chamber  at  Washington 
by  Senator  Fessenden,  reflecting  on  Senator  Sumner.  As 
was  his  custom  when  about  to  make  a  speech,  Sumner 
had  just  come  in  laden  with  a  mass  of  books.  Fessenden 
said,  "  Look  at  that  d — d  school-boy  coming  up  to  recite 
his  lesson!"  A  great  many  of  the  ])rilliant  men  who 
have  graduated  from  American  colleges  have  been  in 
after  life  nothing  but  school-boys, — pedantic,  with  infor- 
mation enough,  maybe,  but  unable  to  do  aught  with  it 
for  lack  of  physical  strength.  I  am  glad  that  there  are  to 
be  athletic  contests  after  these  addresses.  Young  men, 
get  health ;  make  your  bodies  strong ;  then  your  learning 
will  be  of  some  use.  The  importance  of  a  good  physical 
gi'oundwork  to  our  mental  life  is  becoming  greater  and 
greater  with  every  passing  year.  Look  at  the  influential 
men  in  Congress.  The  secret  with  every  one  of  them  is 
that  he  has  a  strong  body  and  is  able  to  work  more  hours 
a  day  than  his  fellows  can.  You  must  have  health  if  you 
are  going  to  do  anything  great  in  this  competitive  world. 
As  a  third  element  of  superiority  in  our  modern  educa- 
tion, I  would  mention  its  larger  liberty.  The  student  has 
a  greater  freedom  in  the  choice  of  studies.  Unless  car- 
ried to  very  great  extremes,  this  is  a  distinct  advantage. 
People  have  learned  in  recent  years  that  God  Almighty 
has  many  keys  with  which  to  unlock  human  intelligence. 
In  our  college  we  have  shops  where  they  do  all  sorts  of 
cunning  things ;  a  shop  for  wood-working,  and  a  shop  for 
work  in  iron,  steel,  and  other  metals.  Three  or  four 
years  ago  our  faculty  recommended  to  the  Board  of  Fel- 
lows that  any  candidate  should  be  permitted  to  take  one 
term  in  the  woodwork  shop  and  another  in  the  iron  and 
steel  work  shop,  and  that  each  term  should  count  one 
13 


194  UNION    COLLEGE. 

term  toward  the  attainment  of  the  degree  whatever  the 
degree  might  be  for  which  the  candidate  was  studying. 
This  has  been  permitted  ever  since.  A  considerable 
number  of  the  candidates  for  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity.  A  singular 
phenomenon  has  come  to  light  in  connection  with  this 
practice.  We  have  found  that  many  men  have  continued 
dull  and  inexact,  flabby-minded  and  illogical,  until  they 
got  into  the  shop,  who  then  woke  up,  became  bright, 
turned  their  attention  to  literature,  and  proved  fine  stu- 
dents. You  would  hardly  believe  this  were  it  not  stated 
to  you  on  the  authority  of  a  college  president.  (Laugh- 
tei-.)  But  it  is  true  notwithstanding.  (Laughter.)  Per- 
haps with  a  little  effort  I  can  make  all  understand  why  it 
is  so.  A  very  inexact  scholar  can  read  Greek  after  a 
fashion,  and  get  through  the  Freshman  mathematics.  At 
our  college  we  do  not  require  a  candidate  for  Bachelor- 
ship in  Arts  to  pursue  mathematics  after  Freshman  year. 
Well,  your  dullard  can  get  through  algebra,  geometry, 
and  trigonometry,  and  yet  never  attain  exactness,  accur- 
acy. Cardinal  Newman,  you  remember,  says  that  a  great 
part  of  a  liberal  education  is  training  in  accuracy.  The 
fellow  stuml)les  through  his  "  Herodotus,"  his  "  Homer," 
even  his  "  Titus  Livy "  and  his  "  Horace,"  and  gets  up 
his  mathematics  too,  but  the  idea  of  knowing  things  ex- 
acthj  he  has  never  been  able  to  realize.  But  now  he, 
who  never  did  a  day's  work  in  a  shop  before  in  his 
life,  goes  to  the  shop  and  takes  a  lesson  under  the  boss 
carpenter.  This  new  preceptor  says,  "  Take  that  board 
and  plane  that  edge  straight,  young  man,  or  you  can't 
have  credit  for  any  work  done  in  this  shop."  The  young 
man  wakes  up.  If  he  never  opened  his  eyes  before  he 
now  opens  one  at  least  to  squint  across  that  edge. 
(Laughter.)  Then  the  professor  of  carpentry  says :  "  Saw 
right  up  to  that  line  on  the  right,  but  don't  you  saw  it 
out."    The  learner  tries,  but  saws  the  line  out,  and  has  to 


ADDRESS.  195 

begin  again,  for  he  gets  no  credit  for  that  piece  of  work. 
He  keeps  at  it  until  lie  can  saw  along  the  riglit  of  that 
line  and  not  saw  it  out.  When  he  has  accomplished  this 
feat,  the  instructor  tries  him  upon  the  left  of  the  line; 
and  then,  when  liis  jtupil  has  mastered  that  conquest,  he 
makes  him  saw  out  the  line,  every  part  of  it.  The  stu- 
dent says:  "I  have  done  something  at  last,  and,  thank 
God,  I  have  done  it  exactly  ! "  He  could  never  say  that 
before.  I  have  known  a  number  of  cases  where  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  intellectual  life  of  the  youth  began  in 
using  a  saw  or  a  jack-plane  or  some  other  implement 
employed  in  the  shop. 

There  is  larger  liberty  also  in  matters  of  conduct  and 
belief.  We  do  not  drive  orthodoxy  or  virtue  into  young 
men  with  the  birch.  In  most  States,  I  believe,  it  is  still 
legal  for  a  college  president  to  take  a  senior  across  his 
knee,  and  it  is  certain  that  some  of  them  deserve  this. 
It  is  said  that  when  Dr.  Wayland  was  president  he  burst 
into  a  dark  room  -where  students  were  making  great  dis- 
order and  seized  one  big  fellow.  They  had  a  hard  tussle, 
but  Dr.  Wayland  was  the  better  man.  Grabbing  the  stu- 
dent bodily,  he  rushed  him  to  the  light  and  held  him  up 
as  a  girl  would  hold  her  doll,  and  said,  "  It  is  you,  is  it  ?  " 
[Laughter.]  The  fellow  could  not  well  deny  it  —  [laughter] 
—and  so  said,  "  Yes,  it 's  me."  "  Well,"  said  Dr.  Wayland, 
"go  to  your  room  and  never  let  me  catch  you  at  this 
again."  Nowadays,  generally  speaking,  we  do  not  em- 
ploy that  form  of  discipline.  I  weigh  one  hundred  and 
ninety-four  pounds,  but  the  center-rush  in  our  foot-ball 
line  is  a  young  gentleman  whom  I  should  prefer  to  dis- 
cipline otherwise  than  corporally.  A  great  deal  could  he 
said  upon  the  advantage  of  free,  open  dealing  with  young- 
men,  advantage  with  reference  to  their  character,  on  both 
its  religious  and  its  moral  side. 

However,  leaving  those  interesting  things  to  be  dis- 
cussed by  the  president  of  Vassar  College,  who  knows  all 


196  UNION    COLLEGE. 

about  young  men,  I  pass  on  to  mention  what  I  call  the 
reality  of  our  modern  education  as  compared  with  the 
representative  and  arm's-length  character  of  it  once.  I 
shall  never  cease  thinking  that  most  of  the  teaching  un- 
der which  I  came  when  in  college — that  was  a  long  time 
ago,  I  grant,  and  therefore,  perhaps,  the  general  argument 
loses  weight,  but  still  I  will  endeavor  to  advance  it,  such 
as  it  is — that  most  of  the  teaching  in  college  when  I  was 
there  was  morbidly  pedantic.  It  had  little  bearing  upon 
life.  It  was  well  meant  and  it  did  some  good.  One  must 
always  be  glad  to  have  received  that  rather  than  nothing ; 
bat  I  freely  say  that  I  think  the  teaching  now  done  in 
most-  of  our  institutions  of  higher  learning  is  indefinitely 
superior  to  that  formerly  communicated.  It  is  real,  and 
not  pedantic.  That  is,  teachers  to-day  insist  that  pupils 
shall  actually  know  something,  and  not  know  about  some- 
thing. A  lady  once  wrote  to  Professor  Hiram  Corson,  of 
Cornell:  "  My  dear  Professor  Corson, — I  have  been  elected 
secretary  of  a  Browning  club  and  I  am  to  prepare  the 
first  paper.  We  are  to  meet  a  week  from  to-night ;  and 
I  write  you  respectfully  to  inquire  what  I  ought  to  read 
in  order  to  get  ready  for  this  paper."  Professor  Corson 
wrote  back :  "  Dear  Madam :  Yours  received  and  contents 
duly  noted.  Read  Browning."  [Laughter.]  Well,  when 
I  was  in  college  we  did  not  read  Browning.  We  did  not 
read  Milton.  We  did  not  read  Shakspere.  Some  of  us 
were  in  doubt  whether  such  persons  ever  lived.  What 
did  we  read  f  A  certain  manual  of  English  literature 
with  a  great  many  dates  in  it,  not  one  of  which  I  re- 
member, although  I  was  very  diligent  in  that  department. 
It  was  somewhat  so  around  the  entire  circle  of  alleged 
information  presented  to  us.  Instead  of  getting  at  the 
penetralia  of  things  as  pupils  are  made  to  do  now  by 
first-hand  use  of  the  library  and  in  the  seminary,  we 
learned  ahout  things.  This  movement  in  the  direction  of 
reality  in  collegiate  teaching  is  one  in  which  I  glory. 


ADDRESS.  197 

Begging  the  pardon  of  all  for  the  desultory  manner  in 
which  I  have  spoken,  I  concludes  with  the  expression  of 
my  best  wishes  for  the  future  of  Union  College,  an  institu- 
tion of  learning  for  which  I  have  the  profoundest  respect. 
They  tell  a  story  about  what  occurred  when  MacMahon, 
who  was  President  of  the  French  Tie})ublic,  reviewed 
some  cadets  at  one  of  the  great  French  military  schools. 
There  was  among  the  cadets  a  colored  boy,  who  had  been 
abused  by  some  of  his  white  comrades.  Now  there  was 
to  be  a  review  and  MacMahon  was  to  come  and  inspect 
them.  The  friends  of  the  negro  said,  "  The  colored  cadet 
will  get  his  rights  now  that  the  old  man  is  here."  As 
soon  as  the  boys  turned  out  upon  parade,  MacMahon  spied 
the  colored  fellow  and  went  straight  for  him.  As  he 
came  in  front  the  colored  cadet  stood  at  "Attention," 
straight  as  a  string,  and  the  President  addressed  him. 
He  said,  in  the  politest  French,  "Are  you  the  colored 
gentleman  ? "  And  the  cadet  replied,  "  Yes,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, I  am."  "  Well,"  said  the  President  of  the  French 
Republic,  "  continue  to  be  so."  [Laughter.]  What,  as  a 
nursery  of  learning  and  character  Union  College  has  been 
up  to  this  good  day,  that  may  Union  College  continue  to 
be  forever.     [Applause.] 


13* 


ADDRESS 

BY  PRESIDENT  TAYLOR.i 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  I  am  not 
so  sure  as  President  Scott  is  that  I  cannot  say 
something  about  the  "  score,"  if  necessary.  That  is  not 
my  subject  this  afternoon ;  but  if  I  had  not  been  brought 
up  somewhat  in  an  athletic  way  and  been  more  or  less 
accustomed  to  some  of  these  diversions,  I  have  the  for- 
tune, or  misfortune,  to  have  a  son  at  present  in  a  man's  col- 
lege, and  he  plays  base-ball.  If  my  own  training  was 
deficient  in  my  early  days,  I  think  I  may  possibly  have 
been  fortunate  during  the  last  three  years. 

I  greatly  regret  that  I  must  stand  in  your  presence 
this  afternoon,  for  the  reason  that  the  place  which  I 
occupy  was  to  be  filled  by  President  Clarke  Seelye,  of 
Smith,  a  graduate  of  Union  College,  who  would  have 
spoken,  as  would  have  been  so  eminently  fitting,  upon 
the  growth  of  the  woman's  college  during  this  century. 
I  regret  that  you  and  I  will  not  be  able  to  listen  to  his 
paper  upon  this  subject,  which  would  have  been  so 
scholarly  and  so  appropriate  to  this  occasion.  We  know 
the  deep  sorrow  which  has  fallen  upon  President  Seelye 

1  President  Taylor  kindly  consented,  at  very  short  notice,  to  fill  the  gap  in 
the  Educational  Conference  caused  by  the  disability  of  President  Seelye,  of 
Smith  College.  He  was,  therefore,  compelled  to  appear  without  manuscript 
or  any  considerable  preparation.  The  following  address  is  from  a  transcript 
of  the  notes  of  the  reporter  employed  for  the  Centennial  occasion.  The 
Committee  takes  the  entire  responsibility  of  this  publication. 


ADDKESS.  199 

in  the  loss  of  his  son,  and  in  tlic  later  loss  of  his  brother, 
also  an  honored  aluinnns  of  Union  College;  and  I  am 
snre  that  onr  hearts  all  ^2:0  ont  to  him  to-day  in  sym- 
pathy. I  can  only  claim, —  having  been  asked  at  a  late 
hour  to  stand  in  his  place  to-day, —  I  can  only  claim  a 
certain  fitness  as  representing  him  as  a  friend,  and  also 
as  representing  another  alumnus  of  Union  College,  the 
first  active  president  of  Vassar  College,  my  own  prede- 
cessor, President  John  H.  Raymond ;  so  that  I  feel,  in 
standing  before  a  Union  College  audience,  as  a  friend  of 
these  men,  so  eminent  in  the  education  of  woman,  and 
as  their  representative,  I  may  faintly  express  what  they 
might  have  said  so  much  better  regarding  the  growth 
and  progress  of  this  great  movement  among  women.  I 
cannot,  of  course,  speak,  looking  back  over  a  century,  of 
woman's  education  alone;  for  the  woman's  college  has 
only  entered  upon  the  heritage  that  has  been  prepared 
for  it  during  the  progress  of  the  century.  As  we  look 
back  upon  the  early  days  of  Union,  there  is  very  little  to 
see  in  the  line  of  woman's  education.  The  early  days  of 
the  century  suggest  the  small  scope  of  the  training  of 
that  day,  in  the  branches  of  which  Mrs.  Adams  tells  us, 
reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  and  for  a  favored  few 
dancing  and  music ;  they  recall  the  time  when  the  Bos- 
ton School  Board  closed  its  school,  which  had  been  open 
for  a  year  to  girls,  because  girls  came  in  so  much  larger 
numbers  than  boys  that  it  threatened  the  exchequer  of 
the  City  of  Boston,  and  to  save  their  treasury  they  closed 
their  high  school  against  the  girls ;  they  suggest  the  days 
when  Emma  Willard  learned  first  the  power  of  woman  to 
master  mathematics, —  a  pathetic  tale  it  seems  to  me, — 
when  she,  who  had  been  trained  to  believe  in  the  compa- 
rative weakness  of  woman's  mind,  studied  until  she  had 
mastered  geometry  and  had  been  tested  by  a  young  stu- 
dent of  Middlebury  C-ollege,  who  lived  in  her  family,  as 
to  her  capacity  to  pass  an  examination.     They  carry  us 


200  UNION    COLLEGE. 

back  to  tlie  days  when  Frances  Power  Cobb,  that  brilli- 
ant woman  and  brilliant  thinker,  was  trained  in  one  of 
the  best  schools  in  England,  where  education  was  such 
that  it  curbed  both  body  and  mind  and  stilled  the  soaring 
of  the  spirit ;  the  days  when  Emma  Willard  began  a  great 
work  in  Troy,  and  Mary  Lyon  opened  a  school  at  Holyoke 
whose  work  has  gone  out  into  every  section  of  the  globe ; 
and  when  Catherine  Beecher  founded  a  school  at  Hart- 
ford which  produced  such  a  profound  impression  in  the 
country.  All  these  were  the  gathering  of  the  rills  to- 
ward the  fullness  of  the  stream.  As  one  watches  the 
progress  from  those  early  times  through  our  century, 
Oberlin  and  Antioch,  Lombard,  and  Mary  Sharp,  and 
Macon,  Iowa,  and  Alfred,  admit  women  to  the  privileges 
provided  for  men  or  are  specially  founded  for  women, 
until  Elmira  is  constituted,  in  1859,  as  perhaps  the  high- 
est reach  of  them  all  for  the  express  education  of  young 
women.  It  was  not,  however,  until  Mr.  Vassar  placed 
his  fortune  at  the  disposition  of  the  trustees  whom  he 
had  constituted  a  board  for  his  new  college  for  women, 
and  made  something  like  a  sufficient  provision,  at  that 
day,  for  the  beginnings  of  a  college,  that  these  streams  of 
influence  culminated  and  a  college  was  built  which  com- 
manded a  position  among  the  men's  colleges  of  the  coun- 
try, in  virtue  of  its  size, — which  is  always  counted  too 
largely  in  college  matters  —  in  virtue  of  its  size  and  en- 
dowments and  faculty. 

From  that  time  on  progress  in  the  direction  of  higher 
education  for  women  has  been  rapid.  I  shall  not  stop  to 
review  it.  "We  know  that  hundreds  of  colleges  for  men 
have  opened  their  doors  to  women.  We  know  that  there 
are  four  or  five  large  colleges  for  women  that  are  the 
equal  of  the  best  colleges  for  men,  and  the  movement  has 
gone  on  apace  until  a  score  of  thousands  of  students  are 
to-day  enlisted  in  this  higher  education,  and  our  larger 
universities  (and  many  more  of  them  will  soon  follow) 


ADDRESS.  201 

are  opening  tlieir  doors  for  the  highest  education  attain- 
able for  women  as  for  men.  Now  I  say  that,  in  viewing 
this  progress  of  women's  edueution,  we  are  to  rememl)er 
that  the  woman's  college  entered  nj^on  a  heritage,  and 
while  we  look  back  over  a  century  to-day,  it  is  only  a 
third  of  a  century  that  is  really  marked  by  the  great 
movement  that  we  entitle  the  higher  education  of  wom- 
an. The  rest  of  the  period  was  one  of  preparation ;  so 
that  women's  colleges  have  entered  into  a  condition  pre- 
pared for  them  by  the  general  advance  of  educational 
theory  and  practice.  Let  me  very  briefly  summarize 
what  seem  to  me  two  or  three  leading  lines  in  which  the 
educational  world  has  so  changed  from  early  times  as  to 
prepare  a  better  opportunity  of  development  for  women's 
colleges. 

In  the  first  place,  within  that  time  we  have  entered  into 
the  elective  system  of  study.  I  say  elective  sj/sffm  of 
study,  because  it  represents  a  pr'mcipU ;  because  it  is  a 
declaration,  not  of  a  mere  liberty  of  choice  as  over  against 
prescription, —  never  that, —  but  a  declaration  that,  in 
paths  of  knowledge  other  than  those  which  were  believed 
the  sole  lines  of  education  a  quarter  or  a  half  century  ago,  a 
full  development  of  the  student  may  be  gained  as  well  as 
in  the  old.  The  elective  system  of  study  represents  the 
vast  advance  of  knowledge  within  our  generation  and  the 
necessity  of  a  new  system  if  these  valued  lines  of  know- 
ledge are  to  be  introduced  into  a  college  curriculum.  It 
means,  therefore,  not  necessarily  an  equal  valuation  of 
all  studies  for  educational  purposes,  but  that  the  edu- 
cated world  will  never  again  return  to  the  belief  that 
only  one  particular  system  of  knowledge  is  worthy  of 
being  called  liberal  training.  It  means  that  in  many 
different  groups,  and  by  many  different  preparations,  a 
liheral  training,  in  the  large,  free  sense  of  that  word,  may 
be  gained.  Now,  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  this 
elective  system  of  study  has  absolutely  broken  up  the  old 


202  UNION    COLLEGE. 

American  curriculum.  The  Ameiican  college  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years  ago,  when  this  movement  for  woman's 
education  began,  was  a  quite  well-defined  institution.  It 
had  definite  outlines,  definite  purposes.  No  man  would 
claim  to-day  that  there  is  much  that  is  definite  about  the 
American  college.  It  is,  in  fact,  chaotic.  It  looks  toward 
the  high  school  on  the  one  side  and  toward  the  university 
on  the  other ;  it  can  hardly  tell  with  which  its  relations 
are  the  closer,  so  developed  has  the  high  school  become, 
and  so  far  down  has  the  univei'sity  dij)i3ed  into  what 
most  of  us  were  coming  to  think  the  proper  sphere  of 
collegiate  study.  Now  the  American  college  undoubtedly 
will  become  a  more  definite  institution  between  the  high 
school  and  the  university,  and  although  one  must  projDh- 
esy  carefully  and  with  due  difiidence,  this  at  least  seems 
clear:  the  American  college  will  be  Jiheral  in  distinction 
from  professional,,  its  courses  will  be  largely  elective  and 
increasingly  broad,  and  while  it  will  not  admit  the  equal 
educational  value  of  all  studies,  it  will  never  again  allow 
a  single  group  to  define  the  notion  of  a  liberal  education. 
Into  this  heritage, — a  substantial  gain  in  educational  the- 
ory—  the  American  wommi's  college  has  entered. 

Now,  in  another  aspect,  it  seems  to  me,  a  very  consid- 
erable change  has  come  over  our  institutions  in  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  and  that  is  in  the  disciplinary  aspect  of  col- 
lege life.  President  Andrews  has  spoken  fully  of  that,  and 
I  will  not  dwell  upon  the  subject  more  than  simply  to  say 
that  we  men  who  were  educated  twenty-five  or  thirty  or 
forty  years  ago  are  very  likely  to  exaggerate  the  superi- 
ority of  this  later  time.  The  discipline  then  was  quite  as 
good  in  the  main,  perhaj^s,  as  it  is  now ;  but  I  think  we 
may  say,  on  the  whole,  that  there  has  come  to  be  a  heart- 
ier and  happier  relationship  between  the  student  and  the 
professor,  and  that  it  could  not  be  said,  perhaps,  as  com- 
monly as  it  might  have  been  said  once,  in  the  language 


ADDRESS.  203 

of  a  famous  professor  of  Brown  University,  that  a  profes- 
sor's life  would  be  a  very  happy  one  if  it  were  not  for  the 
student.  There  has  come  to  be  a  far  bett(U-  relation  gen- 
erally between  the  teacher  and  the  taught ;  but  there  are 
many  of  us  who  can  look  back  and  remember  the  men 
who  taught  us  and  impressed  theii'  ideals  u])on  us,  who 
held  in  their  hands  the  conduct  and  discii^line  of  the 
colleges,  and  say  whether  a  half  or  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  it  was  the  man  or  the  system  that  had  most  to  do 
with  the  effect  of  our  college  life  upon  our  after  lives. 

In  one  other  aspect,  let  me  say,  there  has  been  a  vast 
progress  in  our  educational  theory.  Within  that  period 
has  been  the  time  of  the  growth  of  federation,  of  the  re- 
cognition of  the  relationship  of  the  various  parts  of  our 
educational  whole.  Never  before  in  the  history  of  edu- 
cation, I  believe,  has  there  been  so  clear  an  understand- 
ing on  the  part  of  men  interested  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  education,  of  their  common  interest;  never  a 
time  certainly  in  American  education  when  men  have 
come  to  recognize  so  clearly  that  the  school,  the  college, 
and  the  university  must  work  hand  in  hand,  that  they 
must  be  in  touch,  the  response  of  part  to  part ;  and  the 
most  hopeful  sign  in  the  educational  firmament  of  Amer- 
ica is  the  fact  that  all  these  educational  parts  are  looking 
toward  this  unity,  and  men  are  beginning  to  recognize 
clearly  that  they  do  not  labor  in  a  college  or  a  university 
or  a  high  school  or  academy  merely,  but  that  they  have 
part  in  a  harmonious  and  correlated  system  of  instruc- 
tion which  is  related  to  every  interest  of  our  common 
life.  The  committees  that  have  been  formed  by  a  Na- 
tional Educational  Association,  the  Committees  of  Ten 
and  of  Fifteen,  have  touched  the  life  of  the  university 
and  of  the  college,  and  the  life  of  the  school,  and  these 
are  but  signs  of  what  is  certain  to  come  in  far  larger 
measure,  with  increased  hope  for  the  ordering  of  much 


204  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  the  chaos  in  our  present  educational  system  because 
we  are  appreciating  the  value  of  a  unity  founded  in  our 
common  interest. 

It  is  into  this  heritage,  into  this  threefold  aspect  of 
growth,  that  the  woman's  colleges  have  entered,  and  es- 
pecially the  later  colleges.  The  questions,  then,  this  af- 
ternoon to  be  answered  in  few  words  are,  What  do  the 
woman's  colleges  signify  in  this  movement  of  a  century  ? 
What  do  they  represent  as  influences  in  these  directions 
of  American  thinking  and  practice  I 

What  do  they  represent  in  the  intellectual  life  of  the 
American  college  ?  To  my  own  mind  there  are  here  two 
very  manifest  dangers.  One  of  them  has  been  briefly  re- 
ferred to  by  my  friend,  Dr.  Andrews ;  it  is  the  danger  of 
intellectualism.  That,  however,  is  the  danger  from  the  side 
of  the  faculty  —  the  danger  of  a  simple  intellectualism;  the 
forgetfulness  that,  after  all,  we  are  educating  men.  What- 
ever our  teaching  may  be,  and  in  whatever  branch  it  may 
be,  it  certainly  fails  unless  it  somehow  grips  the  soul  of 
a  man ;  unless  it  makes  him  larger,  fuller,  with  stronger 
purposes  in  life  and  better  able  to  achieve  them.  After 
all,  Rousseau  was  right  when  he  said  that  "  to  live  "  was 
"the  profession  he  would  teach  one."  Whatever  be  its 
intellectual  or  other  standards,  the  education  that  does 
not  send  out  men  and  women  better  equipped  for  life 
is  a  failure.  Now,  it  seems  to  me  that,  through  the  mere 
course  of  nature,  through  the  action  and  reaction  which 
are  its  inevitable  law,  we  have  come  to  put  our  emj)hasis 
a  little  too  much,  perhaps,  in  our  college  work  upon  the 
merely  intellectual  side  of  education.  Doubtless  a  gen- 
eration ago  there  was  a  far  lower  intellectual  ideal,  and 
the  need  of  putting  more  emphasis  upon  this  aspect  of 
our  colleges  was  profoundly  felt;  and  those  of  us  who 
were  in  college  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  I  am  sure, 
recognize  the  fact  very  clearly  that  there  has  been  an 
immense  advance,  but,  as  in  all  human  things,  a  one- 


ADDKESS.  205 

sided  advance.  The  moral  side  needs  emphasis,  "moral" 
in  its  large,  broad  sense,  the  power  that  takes  hold  of 
the  soul  and  the  heart  of  a  man  and  makes  him  intellec- 
tually earnest,  and  sincere,  and  progressive,  as  well  as 
morally  earnest. 

It  seems  to  me,  also,  that  there  is  another  danger  right 
over  against  the  danger  from  the  side  of  the  faculty,  and 
that  is  a  danger  from  the  student  side  of  college  life,  the 
danger  of  too  little  intellectual  earnestness  and  too  little 
moral  earnestness.  No  man  rejoices  more  than  I  do  in 
this  progress  in  athletics.  Let  me  say  a  word  here,  be- 
cause of  what  has  just  been  said,  and  because  I  observe 
always  in  gatherings  of  men  a  tendency  to  the  belief 
that  athletics  concern  yonng  men  alone.  Why,  men  and 
brethren,  Vassar  College  started  this  work  of  physical 
edncation.  Vassar  College  opened  its  doors  to  physical 
education  in  1865,  and  physical  education  has  been  a 
feature  of  that  institution  ever  since.  We  have  had  a 
well-equipped  gymnasium  for  years,  including  a  swim- 
ming-bath ;  we  have  a  field  for  basket-ball  and  battle- 
ball  ;  we  play  tennis  and  golf;  we  skate  and  we  row,  and 
we  are  familiar  with  the  bicycle.  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  if  some  of  us  of  the  stronger  sex  were  compelled  to 
follow  some  of  these  girls  in  their  exercises  in  the  gym- 
nasium, we  should  get  very  short  of  breath  and  weary  in 
body  before  we  had  finished.  These  gii-ls  are  not  weak- 
lings by  any  means;  they  keep  fully  abreast  of  the 
sterner  sex  in  athletics  of  the  proper  kind.  As  I  say, 
I  rejoice  in  all  these  physical  contests.  I  admire  base- 
ball too,  but  do  you  know  I  can  hardly  recognize  it  as  a 
college  study?  I  ask  myself  now  and  then  what  would 
be  thought  by  an  unprejudiced  observer  from  Mars  if 
lie  should  drop  down  upon  some  of  our  great  univer- 
sities in  the  midst  of  the  athletic  season.  It  seems  to 
me  that  there  is  grave  danger  here  to  American  educa- 
tion.    I  believe  in  athletics ;  I  believe  in  base-ball  and 


206  UNION    COLLEGE. 

to  a  degree  in  foot-ball;  in  the  foot-ball  that  is  played 
on  the  foot -J)  all  field  and  not  in  the  newspapers  by  college 
correspondents,  and  witli  the  toufjue.  But  I  am  sure  that 
the  educated  American  people  are  awakening  to  the  be- 
lief that  there  is  a  danger  here,  a  danger  that  the  intel- 
lectual tone  of  our  colleges  and  universities  is  suffering. 
I  know  it  to  be  true  in  large  measure,  and  that  the  un- 
prejudiced observer,  if  he  were  to  visit  several  of  our 
large  universities,  would  have  reason  to  question  whe- 
ther, side  by  side  with  this  athletic  education,  they  were 
also  sufficiently  gripping  their  men  intellectually  and  mak- 
ing of  them  good  men  and  citizens.  For  I  do  believe 
that  the  first  business  of  a  college  is  the  making  of  good 
men  after  all,  men  who  know  how  to  think  (that  is  the 
great  difference  between  men  as  life  goes  on — the  power 
to  think  clearly,  accurately,  strongly),  and  then  to  act; 
and  the  college  that  is  not  doing  that  is  failing  at  the 
main  point  of  college  education,  no  matter  what  its 
base-ball  team  can  do,  or  how  its  foot-ball  record  stands. 
[Applause.] 

Now  I  ask  what  are  the  women's  colleges  doing  in  the 
face  of  these  two  opposite  dangers  that  threaten  American 
education  f  I  believe  that  they  are  standing  for  a  health- 
ful mean ;  that  they  are  emphasizing  as  much  and  as 
clearly  as  any  colleges  in  America  the  intellectual  side  of 
education,  and  that  their  health  record  will  compare  with 
the  best  of  our  American  institutions;  that  they  are  watch- 
ing the  physical  side  and  are  watching  the  intellectual 
side  also.  And  this  needs  to  be  said, — will  you  allow  me 
to  say  it? — it  needs  to  be  said  with  emphasis  to  an  audi- 
ence even  of  college  men.  I  took  up  a  journal  a  few 
months  ago,  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  America,  which 
had  reviewed  the  catalogue  of  the  college  which  I  serve. 
It  was  an  admirable  editorial ;  respectful  with  that  degree 
of  respect  which  men  are  in  our  later  years  beginning  to 
show  to  women's  colleges.    It  was  evidently  by  a  practised 


ADDRESS.  207 

hand.  It  took  up  the  essential  features  of  our  college 
curriculum,  and  dwelt  upon  them  with  skill.  It  compared 
our  curriculum  with  those  of  colleges  for  men,  and  showed 
that  it  stood  equally  well,  so  far  as  the  catalofjuc  was  con- 
cerned. And  then  it  raised  this  question :  If  the  women's 
colleges  are  (Johuj  this  work  as  it  is  printed  in  their  cata- 
logues, then  who  shall  say  that  they  are  not  doing  equally 
well  with  the  best  of  our  colleges  for  men?  That  is  a 
question  which  is  raised  continually,  and  surprisingly. 
In  the  college  which  I  represent  there  are  in  our  fac- 
ulty graduates  of  Hai'vard,  Yale,  Princeton,  Cornell,  and 
Michigan,  and  of  several  of  the  smaller  colleges ;  we  have 
among  the  men  of  our  faculty  representatives,  too,  of  the 
larger  universities,  such  as  Johns  Hopkins,  and  of  several 
of  the  European  universities ;  and  our  women  represent 
the  best  of  the  women's  colleges,  and  some  of  them  also 
have  worked  in  the  European  universities  as  well  as  in 
those  of  our  own  land.  Now  is  it  possible  (and  in  this 
regard  Vassar  is  onl}^  a  type  of  the  faculties  of  the  wo- 
men's colleges  in  general) — is  it  possible  that  a  body  of 
men  and  women  who  are  thus  products  of  the  best  in- 
stitutions of  America  do  not  know  what  good  education 
isf  And  is  it  possible  that  they  work  along  together 
year  after  year  with  ideals  clear,  and  knowing  what 
education  means,  and  do  not  hold  up  the  level  as  high 
as  that  of  any  other  institution  in  the  land  f  Let  me 
say  plainly,  as  a  man  (I  speak  as  a  man),  let  me  say 
that  as  I  have  worked  with  both  men  and  women  I  have 
been  struck  by  this,  that  when  it  comes  to  holding  fast 
to  an  ideal,  it  is  the  woman  who  hews  to  the  line.  (Ap- 
plause.) I  say  that  with  no  depreciation  of  man's  work 
or  of  man's  high  ideals ;  but  it  is  in  the  nature  of  woman, 
it  is  what  you  call  conscience  in  her;  it  is  what  makes 
woman  more  religious,  and,  as  a  rule,  more  faithful  to  the 
ordinary  duties  of  life.  And  carrying  that  into  education, 
what  does  it  mean  ?     It  means  that  your  girls  cannot  slip 


208  UNION    COLLEGE. 

through.  Sometimes  your  boys  do.  It  meaus  that  your 
girls  cannot  be  absent  from  the  college  week  after  week, 
that  they  cannot  cut  here  and  cut  there  and  still  main- 
tain their  standard  of  scholarship.  It  would  be  absolutely 
impossible,  I  think,  for  any  average  student  to  be  absent 
from  college  as  much  as  some  of  our  teams  in  the  larger 
colleges  are  absent,  and  do  the  work  which  is  required  in 
women's  colleges.  I  speak  very  plainly,  men  and  breth- 
ren, because  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  answer  to  the  question 
to  which  I  am  set  to  speak, — what  are  women's  colleges 
doing  for  education  in  this  last  quarter  of  the  century? — 
and  I  sum  up  this  point  with  the  declaration  that  I  be- 
lieve that  there  is  no  educational  work  done  in  our  col- 
leges anywhere  in  America  that  is  more  fairly  set  in  the 
face  of  a  high  ideal  than  that  of  the  colleges  for  women. 
Their  curricula  are  the  equals  of  those  of  our  best  colleges 
for  men ;  their  faculties  have  no  reason  to  lift  their  hats 
to  the  faculties  of  other  institutions,  save  as  a  matter  of 
fraternal  courtesy ;  and  they  are  holding  their  ideals  and 
pressing  toward  them. 

Now,  in  a  few  words  let  me  speak  of  that  second  point, 
the  standard  of  discipline.  I  believe  that  the  women's 
colleges  are  contributing  something  to  the  ideals  of  col- 
lege government.  It  does  not  seem  to  me  that  in  this 
respect  we  have  grown  very  rapidly  in  the  last  few  years, 
notwithstanding  the  better  relation  between  the  teachers 
and  the  taught.  The  old  ideal  of  college  government 
still  prevails  in  the  major  number  of  our  American  col- 
leges. It  involves  the  largest  possible  liberty  on  the  part 
of  the  student  and  the  occasional  interference  on  the  part 
of  the  faculty;  at  least  that  seems  to  me  the  case  as  I 
study  it.  It  was  the  case  in  the  college  in  which  I  was 
educated,  though  we  had  at  the  head  of  it  one  of  the 
first  men  of  our  generation  in  education.  It  has  been 
true  of  the  men's  colleges  with  which  I  have  been  asso- 
ciated rather  intimately  for  the  last  few  years.    I  see  it  as 


ADDRESS.  209 

I.  watch  the  government  of  some  of  our  larger  colleges,  the 
combined  collego-uuiversity,  which  we  are  calling  univer- 
sities in  our  days, —  that  perfect  freedom,  a  freedom  that 
we  tolerate  almost  nowhere  else  in  the  world  in  our 
young  men,  limited  only  by  occasional  interference  on 
the  part  of  the  faculty.  But  the  idea  of  an  independent 
body  of  students  ruled  by  principle  and  by  honor  has 
spread  very  slowly  among  our  men's  colleges  in  America. 
Now,  is  not  that  true  ?  I  know  the  Amherst  plan  and  it 
stands  almost  alone ;  but  in  oiu-  women's  colleges  there  is 
a  general  tendency  to  trust  the  students,  to  establish  for 
them  certain  standards  of  conduct,  and  to  leave  the  en- 
forcement of  these  to  the  principle  of  honor.  When  I 
was  at  Amherst  a  few  years  ago,  I  said  to  my  friend. 
President  Grates,  as  we  walked  out  of  the  chapel  after 
service,  "  What  are  those  young  men  around  here  ? " 
He  replied,  "  Those  are  monitors."  Said  I,  "  Are  they 
part  of  your  self-govei'nment  system  I "  He  replied. 
"Well,  we  have  to  have  our  monitors.  That  is  part  of 
the  system."  Self-government  as  it  is  carried  on  in  our 
women's  colleges  involves  no  monitors.  It  means  honor. 
It  means  that  certain  principles  of  conduct  are  set  up  for 
the  student  body  by  the  faculty,  and  the  student  l)ody 
agrees  to  enforce  them.  Attendance  at  college  chai:)el  is 
one  of  the  matters  thus  left  with  the  students ;  the  mat- 
ter of  compulsory  exercise,  which  seems  so  absurd  in 
most  men's  colleges  and  which  is  getting  to  be  very  ab- 
surd in  the  women's  college,  but  which  used  to  be  so  nec- 
essary, is  another ;  the  matter  of  retiring  at  some  defi- 
nite time,  which  seems  also  unnecessary  at  men's  colleges, 
unless  a  man  is  training  and  has  to  do  somen} luff,  in 
which  case  he  goes  to  bed  at  a  stated  and  sensible  hour, 
constitutes  a  third.  These  cases  are  left  absolutely 
to  the  honor  of  the  students.  Now,  men  and  brethren,  is 
not  that  a  step  forward,  and  is  it  a  step  which  cannot  be 
taken  by  our  colleges  for  young  men  f  Is  it  possible  that 
14 


210  UNION    COLLEGE. 

young  men  cannot  be  trusted  ?  Is  it  possible  that  they 
have  not  honor  enough  to  sustain  the  law?  I  do  not 
believe  that  they  cannot  be  trusted  to  look  after  their 
own  conduct  in  these  matters.  Ever  since  I  have  known 
anything  of  the  self-governing  principle,  I  have  always 
said  that  it  might  be  tried  just  as  well  in  om^  colleges  for 
men  as  in  our  colleges  for  women,  and  that  young  men 
might  be  educated  to  feel  that  it  is  more  dangerous  to 
face  the  condemnation  of  their  own  conscience  than  that 
of  any  college  faculty ;  and  until  our  young  men  are  edu- 
cated to  that  level  by  our  colleges  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
colleges  are  not  progressing  as  the}^  should.  This  is  the 
contribution  of  our  women's  colleges  to  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century  in  the  matter  of  government.  I  do  not 
mean  that  this  system  of  self-government  has  never  been 
known  outside  of  them :  I  mean  that  it  is  the  wlwJe  tendency 
in  them.  I  am  told  that  at  West  Point,  where  I  suppose 
boys  are  no  better  than  they  are  in  other  places,  the  one 
thing  that  will  never  be  forgiven  a  man  is  a  lie ;  and  in 
the  case  of  mischief  in  a  class-room,  where  the  professor 
asked,  "  Did  you  do  that ! "  and  the  guilty  man  said,  "  No, 
sir,"  the  class  gathered  about  the  man  after  recitation, 
and  said,  "Unless  you  go  and  confess  that  lie,  we  will 
cut  you.  We  '11  have  no  lying  at  West  Point."  Now 
whether  that  be  true  or  not, —  and  it  only  comes  to  me  as 
a  report, —  it  ought  to  be  true  in  every  association  of 
young  men  and  young  women  that  a  lie  is  recognized  as 
the  very  meanest  of  sins.  A  lie,  as  Kant  said,  is  the 
abandonment  of  one's  own  personality;  and  certainly  in 
this  matter  of  government  our  colleges  ought  to  be  doing 
what  they  can  to  lead  young  men  to  live  by  their  honor, 
and  to  recognize  the  governance  of  high  principle.  If  the 
colleges  for  men  would  say  to  their  students,  "  Here  are 
certain  principles  of  conduct  which  are  necessary  because 
we  are  gathered  here  and  related  as  a  common  body  with 
common  interests  and  aims :  will  vou  enforce  them  I "     I 


ADDRESS.  211 

believe  that  the  young  men  could  be  absolutely  trusted  to 
enforce  them  —  not  every  young  man, —  no  society  was 
ever  as  perfect  as  that, —  but  enougli  young  men  to  make 
it  more  perilous  for  the  otfender  than  any  college  faculty 
can  make  it. 

Let  me  say,  finally,  that  I  think  the  women's  colleges 
are  contributing  something  in  our  generation  to  the  set- 
tlement of  the  vexed  question  of  the  relation  between  the 
college  and  the  university.  That  question  is  not  all  on 
one  side.  The  universities  have  quite  as  much  to  answer 
for  in  this  present  educational  chaos  as  have  the  colleges ; 
bat  I  believe  the  women's  colleges  are  at  least  doing 
something  to  attempt  to  solve  the  question.  There  are 
two  tendencies  among  the  leading  women's  colleges.  One 
of  them  is  represented  by  the  emphasis  on  graduate 
work;  the  other  is  represented  by  the  belief  that  the 
American  universities  are  absolutely  bound  to  open  their 
doors  to  women,  for  graduate  courses, —  that  it  is  inevit- 
able that  the  progress  of  another  generation  will  turn 
aside  the  obstructions  that  still  stand  in  the  way  of  the 
complete  opening  of  aU  (/raduate  work  to  women.  In  the 
light  of  that  belief,  the  other  tendency  in  women's  col- 
leges to  which  I  refer  is  to  emphasize  the  college  work 
with  opportunities  for  a  single  year  of  graduate  study, 
leading  to  the  master's  degree,  but  with  the  general  aim 
to  send  its  students  to  the  large  universities  as  soon  as 
they  have  finished  the  undergraduate  course.  These  two 
tendencies  have  been  promulgated  and  definitely  held; 
there  is  no  drifting  in  the  matter;  and  I  am  sure  that 
you  will  all  agree  with  me  that  the  tendencies  of  most 
American  colleges  on  this  great  question  are  to  drift  and 
to  wait ;  while  at  least  some  of  these  women's  colleges 
have  faced  this  question  definitely.  The  trustees  of  one 
of  them  have  put  their  emphasis  on  graduate  work ;  the 
trustees  of  another  have  put  their  emphasis  on  under- 
graduate work,  and  have  withdrawn  from  the  catalogue 


212  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  offer  of  the  doctor's  degree  and  have  decided  that 
students  who  desire  that  must  go  to  the  larger  univer- 
sities. 

Here,  then,  are  the  contributions  that  occur  to  me  as 
having  been  made  by  women's  colleges  during  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century  toward  the  general  tendencies  of  ed- 
ucation in  American  colleges.  Their  battle  is  well  won. 
It  has  been  no  sudden  conquest.  It  has  been  a  battle,  I 
repeat,  which  these  women's  colleges  have  been  waging 
to  get  the  mere  right  of  recognition ;  but  to-day  they  do 
not  plead;  to-day  they  stand  hand  in  hand  with  the  best 
of  the  colleges  for  men ;  to-day  they  claim  equality ;  to- 
day they  turn  out  results  that  are  fully  equal  to  the  best 
of  those  from  the  colleges  for  men ;  and  all  that  can  be 
hoped  for  is  that  just  as  the  best  colleges  for  men  have 
held  their  faces  toward  the  future,  so  these  colleges  for 
women  shall  press  on  and  on,  ever  looking  toward  the 
highest  and  never  satisfied. 

[An  animated  discussion  followed,  in  which  President  Scott,  Principal 
D.  C.  Farr,  Hon.  Melvil  Dewe.y,  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Bliss,  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Maxwell, 
and  others  participated.  After  adjournment  an  Athletic  Contest  was  con- 
ducted on  the  College  Oval.] 


<^Durationa!  Coiifcrcncc. 
EVENING  SESSION. 

SUBJECT,   THE   UNIVEKSITY. 

Pkesident  Gilman,  of  Johns  Hopkins  Univeksity, 
pkesiding. 

PRESIDENT  GILMAN,  in  taking  the  chair,  referred 
to  the  distinguished  services  that  the  graduates  of 
Union  College  have  rendered  to  Church  and  State,  and 
congratulated  the  authorities  in  having  brought  hither, 
on  this  centennial  anniversary,  so  many  leaders  of  educa- 
tion in  widely  separated  States.  A  special  ser\ace  has 
been  rendered  to  American  culture  by  setting  apart  one 
day  to  consider  what  places  in  the  educational  system  of 
the  United  States  belong  to  the  school,  the  college,  and 
the  university.  When  these  three  stages  are  generally 
recognized  and  their  work  kept  distinct,  there  will  be  less 
waste  of  force,  less  duplication,  greater  progress,  richer 
results. 

We  may  say  in  a  few  brief  phrases  that  the  school  stands 
for  that  which  is  essential  to  the  training  of  the  citizens 
of  a  republic ;  that  the  college  stands  for  liberal  education, 
an  introduction  to  the  nobler  lessons  of  history,  language, 
science,  and  philosophy;  while  the  university  stands  partly 
for  the  advancement  of  knowledge,  and  partly  for  jjrofes- 
14*  -'' 


214  UNION    COLLEGE. 

sional  training  and  the  preparation  of  young  scholars  for 
those  manifold  pursuits  of  modern  life,  which  are  depen- 
dent upon  an  advanced  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  nature 
or  of  the  history  of  human  thought.  The  conception  of 
a  university,  as  distinct  from  a  college,  has  of  late  years 
been  growing  more  and  more  obvious  in  this  country,  and 
accordingly  the  speakers  invited  for  this  evening  have 
been  chosen  from  certain  new  foundations  in  which  the 
effort  is  making  to  work  out  these  fundamental  ideas, 
free  from  the  fetters  of  precedent  and  custom. 

Let  us  take  it  for  granted  that  in  developing  the  idea 
of  the  American  University,  each  institution  will  have  its 
distinctive  character.  Our  highest  seminaries  will  not  be 
organized  under  a  national  government,  as  universities 
are  organized  under  European  governments;  but  each 
will  grow  up  in  its  own  environment,  and  proceed  with 
its  own  work,  according  to  the  means  it  possesses  and 
with  due  regard  to  what  is  in  progress  elsewhere.  We 
may  take  it  for  granted,  also,  that  the  American  Univer- 
sity will  stand  upon  the  American  College,  so  that  what- 
ever changes  may  be  introduced  in  the  latter, — although 
greater  wealth  may  provide  more  ample  facilities,  and 
even  greater  freedom  may  provide  more  varied  courses  of 
study  and  opportunities  of  wider  choice, — the  American 
people  will  still  preserve  the  fundamental  characteristics 
of  the  American  College.  This  "  college  "  idea  was  intro- 
duced by  the  earliest  colonists  in  Massachusetts,  Connec- 
ticut, and  Virginia,  and  it  has  spread  from  one  State  to 
another,  until  it  is  now  recognized  in  every  part  of  the 
land.  It  provides  for  a  liberal  introductory  training  in 
the  arts  and  sciences,  designed  at  once  for  those  who  go 
forward  into  the  so-called  "professions,"  for  those  who 
enter  upon  the  scientific  and  professorial  vocations  of 
modern  times,  and  for  those  who  proceed  at  once  to  the 
pursuits  of  active  business.  Those  who  are  striving  for 
the  development  of  the  university  idea  generally  believe 


ADDRESS.  215 

ill  the  doctrine  that  it  should  be  associated  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  college  idea.  The  distinction  between 
collegiate  and  iinivei-sity  methods  is  therefore  niaiiitaiiied. 
CoUege  education  is  cliiorty  didactic.  The  master  trains 
the  pupil.  The  college  means  discipline,  and  the  forma- 
tion of  character,  the  preparation  of  youth  for  intelligent, 
useful,  honorable  lives.  University  education  is  freer. 
The  teacher  leads  his  pupils,  awakens  in  them  the  love  of 
research,  and  at  once  suggests,  inspires,  and  guides  their 
investigations.  It  prepares  for  professional  life  by  pre- 
cept, example,  opportunities,  criticisms,  and  encourage- 
ments ;  and  it  includes,  among  professions,  the  manifold 
vocations  which  have  been  developed  in  modern  society 
by  the  progress  of  science.  Moreover,  the  university  en- 
gages directly  in  the  advancement  of  knowledge,  and  car- 
ries the  torch  of  inquiry  into  the  border-lands  of  darkness 
or  obscurity. 

[The  speaker  then  proceeded  to  illustrate  the  modern 
process  of  research  by  reference  to  the  study  of  the  nature 
of  light,  the  analysis  of  the  solar  and  stellar  spectra,  the 
measurement  of  wave-lengths,  and  the  coincidence  of 
certain  f)henomena  of  electricity  and  light.  A  second 
illustration  was  taken  from  the  domain  of  philology,  and 
and  especially  from  the  study  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 
"A  large  part  of  the  questions  of  interpretation  which  dis- 
turb in  these  days  the  Christian  Church  can  never  be  de- 
termined by  popular  assemblies,  but  only  by  the  quiet, 
careful,  accurate,  learned  studies  of  the  scholars  of  the 
world."  A  third  illustration  was  found  in  the  latest 
phases  of  biological  science,  the  study  of  bacteria,  and 
the  experimental  study  of  psychology.] 

These  and  many  other  examples  are  indications  of  the 
highest  work  of  the  modern  university, —  the  patient,  pro- 
longed, unselfish  cooperation  of  gifted  men,  well  trained 
for  investigation,  freed  from  pecuniary  anxiety,  and 
quickened  to  exertion  both  by  the  atmosphere  in  which 


216  UNION    COLLEGE.- 

they  live,  and  by  tlie  comments  to  whicli  they  are  exposed. 
Such  work  as  this,  pregnant  with  benefits  to  mankind,  can 
only  be  carried  forward  by  universities.  What  private 
institution,  what  high  school,  what  college,  can  undertake 
with  any  prospect  of  success  these  difficult  tasks  I 

These  introductory  words  must  not  be  expanded.  They 
are  only  intended  to  awaken  your  interest  in  the  addresses 
of  the  speakers  now  to  be  presented. 

I  am  obUged  to  announce  that  President  Harper,  of  the 
University  of  Chicago,  has  been  prevented  from  appearing 
here  this  evening  by  reason  of  his  ill  health.  A  telegraphic 
message  has  been  received  from  him  saying  that  by  the 
advice  of  his  physician  he  does  not  dare  to  undertake  the 
journey ;  but  he  has  sent  to  us  one  of  his  worthiest  col- 
leagues, well  qualified  to  speak  upon  the  subject  of  uni- 
versities,— Professor  Hale,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  once  a 
professor  of  Cornell  University,  now  of  the  University  of 
Chicago,  and  soon  to  be  Professor  Hale  of  the  American 
School  of  Archaeology  established  in  Rome.  I  have,  my 
friends,  great  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Professor 
William  Gr.  Hale,  of  the  Chair  of  Latin  in  the  University 
of  Chicago. 


ADDRESS 

BY   PROFESSOR   WILLIAM   GARDNER  HALE. 

IADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN:  In  the  brief  paper 
^  which  I  am  about  to  read,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to 
address  myself  primarily  to  members  of  my  own  profes- 
sion who  are  themselves  conducting  graduate  work.  My 
aim  is  rather,  in  discussing  the  subject  of  graduate  study 
before  an  audience  brought  together  by  interest  in  the 
highest  university  teaching,  but  presumably  made  up  in 
considerable  part  of  persons  who  are  themselves  engaged 
in  other  occupations,  to  try  to  make  clear  how,  and  under 
what  influences,  graduate  work  arose  in  this  country,  what 
are  its  characteristic  aims,  and  what,  in  a  general  way,  is 
the  nature  of  its  methods. 

One  more  thing  also  needs  to  be  premised.  Wherever 
I  am  obliged  to  speak  of  details,  I  shall  take  them  from 
my  own  department.  This  must  not  be  understood  to 
mean  an  undue  sense  of  the  importance  of  that  depart- 
ment, but  rather  a  due  sense  of  the  importance  of  the 
cobbler's  keeping  to  his  last,  if  he  desires  to  speak  with 
any  authority. 

It  is  a  commonplace  that  there  are  men  still  living  who 
have  witnessed  most  of  the  really  gi'eat  advances  in  in- 
vention that  have  been  achieved  since  the  days  of  the 
Roman  Empire.  The  successful  application  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  steam-engine  to  the  steamboat,  the  railway, 
and  the  factory ;  the  invention  of  the  telegraph,  the  elec- 


218  UNION    COLLEGE. 

trie  light,  the  telephone,  the  typewriter,  and, —  latest, 
though  surely  not  least, —  that  miracle  of  motion,  that 
friend  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  the  bicycle, —  all  this 
falls  within  the  last  ninety  years.  The  nineteenth  cen- 
tury is  characterized  by  its  creative  power  in  the  material 
world. 

As  great  a  change  has  taken  place,  and  that  within  the 
life  of  some  of  us  who  will  not  yet  own  up  to  being  old, 
in  all  departments  of  university  work.  An  excellent 
training  was  afforded  in  our  colleges  twentj^-five  and 
thirty  years  ago ;  and  perhaps  this  training  had  certain 
aims,  a  certain  governing  conception  of  the  cultivated 
gentleman,  as  well  as  of  the  scholar,  which  it  would  be 
dangerous  for  us  to  leave  behind.  But  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  the  attitude  of  mind  to  which  it  led  was  too 
often  the  recipient  and  passive  attitude.  The  phrase 
"book-learning"  alone  would  not  describe  it,  but  the 
phrase  "  book-learning  and  culture,"  if  the  latter  word  be 
used  in  the  ordinary  narrow  sense,  would  for  too  many 
colleges  fairly  characterize  it.  To-day  the  aim  of  univer- 
sity education  is  very  different.  Whether  the  student 
may  or  may  not  attain  to  the  rank  of  inventor  in  the 
world  of  intellectual  activities,  he  at  least  knows  that  he 
may  set  his  aim  as  high  as  this,  and  that  nothing  but  im- 
perfection of  endowment  need  stand  in  his  way. 

This  change  is  the  result  of  the  natural  growth  of  the 
scholarship  of  our  American  professors,  under  the  influ- 
ence, of  course,  of  the  general  intellectual  advancement 
of  the  country,  and  the  accompanying  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  Old  World.  The  first  of  our  American  schol- 
ars to  be  led  to  Europe  by  this  interest  was  George  Tick- 
nor,  of  Harvard,  who  became  a  student  at  Grottingen  in 
1815,  and  returned  full  of  plans  for  the  development  of 
the  university ;  which  plans  he  was  not  destined  to  see 
realized.  Ticknor  was  far  in  advance  of  his  day.  A 
group  of  men,  some  thirty-five  years  later, —  /.  e.,  in  the  fif- 


ADDRESS.  219 

ties, —  followed  in  his  footsteps,  met  with  better  fortunes, 
and  have  the  honor  of  having  contributed  lai'gely  to  the 
new  seholarsliip  of  Amerioa.  I  have  in  mind  such  men  as 
Whitney,  of  Yalo  ;  (Jildersleeve,  of  Johns  Hopkins;  Good- 
win, (Miild,  and  Lane,  of  Harvard.  These  men  found  in 
Germany  a  different  conception  from  that  which  they  had 
seen  governing  college  work  in  this  country.  The  |)ro- 
fessors  whose  lectures  they  attended  were  not  occupying 
themselves  with  teaching  what  had  been  handed  down 
by  the  fathers,  but  were  putting  all  received  opinion  to 
the  proof,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  clarified  \nsion  and 
the  heightened  power  which  they  gained  in  the  labor  of 
examination,  were  discovering  and  establishing  what  had 
not  before  been  known.  And  they  were  training  their 
followers  to  do  the  same  thing ;  for  the  student  absorbed 
the  spirit,  and  caught  the  method,  of  his  master.  The  re- 
sult was  that  these  young  Americans  brought  home  to 
the  professorships  which  they  were  destined  to  fill  in  this 
country  a  new  conception  of  the  function  of  a  university. 
And  their  conception  gradually  spread  to  others,  finding, 
indeed,  a  ready  welcome  in  the  mind  of  many  a  man  who 
had  not  crossed  the  ocean. 

The  moment  the  new  way  of  looking  at  things  began 
to  gather  strength,  it  would  naturally  bring  with  it  a 
continuance  of  study  beyond  the  allotted  four  years ;  for 
the  new  kind  of  scholarship  would  be  possible  of  attain- 
ment only  to  men  who  had  gone  much  beyond  the  point 
to  which  the  four  years  of  the  college  course,  as  then  con- 
stituted, could  carry  them.  So  far  as  my  knowledge  goes, 
the  first  graduate  study,  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  word, 
was  established,  late  in  the  sixties,  at  Harvard  and  Yale. 
At  both  places  a  few  men  offered  advanced  instruction, 
and  a  few  graduates  remained  to  take  it.  But  the  work 
was  by  no  means  organized.  The  instructors  of  the  col- 
lege were  already  overburdened,  and  no  adequate  pro- 
vision could  be  made  for  the  needs  of  the  new  class  of 


220  UNION    COLLEGE. 

students,  who  accordingly  had  to  do  what  they  could, 
with  only  imperfect  guidance.  A  considerable  impetus, 
however,  was  soon  given  through  the  institution  of  fel- 
lowships, first  offered  at  Harvard,  if  I  remember  rightly, 
in  1869,  and  soon  reaching  a  respectable  number,  with 
good  incomes  attached.  Inasmuch,  too,  as  most  of  these 
fellowships,  on  account  of  the  unsatisfactory  state  of 
things  in  America,  were  especially  created  for  the  pur- 
pose of  non-resident  study, —  which  at  that  time  was 
synonymous  with  study  in  Grermany, —  new  leaven  was 
constantly  being  brought  into  the  country. 

At  the  time  we  have  now  reached,  about  the  middle  of 
the  seventies,  the  Johns  Hopkins  University  was  organ- 
ized. With  the  greatest  wisdom,  its  managers  seized 
upon  the  new  conception,  and,  using  it  as  a  foundation, 
built  upon  it  a  famous  structure,  the  services  of  which  to 
American  education  can  never  be  forgotten.  They  made 
the  graduate  school  the  university,  the  undergraduate  de- 
partment being,  at  the  outset,  of  little  consequence,  and 
indeed,  in  the  opening  year,  hardly  existent.  With  this 
complete  change  in  the  placing  of  the  emphasis  of  their 
attention,  they  were  enabled  to  address  themselves  di- 
rectly to  the  problems  of  the  organization  and  develop- 
ment of  advanced  work.  Their  example  and  their  suc- 
cess stimulated  graduate  study  in  places  where  it  had 
begun,  and  helped  to  evoke  it  in  places  where  it  had  not 
begun.  To-day  it  is  to  be  found  in  many  universities,  in 
some  existing  in  little  more  than  name,  in  several  existing 
in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

The  aims  of  this  work  I  have  already  characterized. 
But  you  will  bear  with  me  if  I  attempt  to  throw  them 
into  sharper  relief  through  a  more  detailed  description 
of  what  takes  place  when  a  body  of  students  is  gathered 
together  about  a  group  of  specialists. 

It  is  generally  found  that  the  men  who  come  up  to  a 


ADDRESS.  221 

given  university  for  graduate  study  have  two  kinds  of  de- 
ficiencies. First,  deficiencies  of  quantity  are  likely  to  exist. 
In  a  given  language,  for  example,  gi-adnates  of  the  smaller 
colleges  and  universities  have  generally  I'ead  less  of  the 
literature  than  they  would  have  done  if  they  had  taken 
their  undergraduate  course  in  the  larger  university  to 
which  they  come  for  further  work.  It  is  necessary,  there- 
fore, to  give  them  this  fnller  reading,  which  they  will 
take  side  by  side  with  the  more  advanced  undergrad- 
uates. Further,  it  is  generally  found  that  the  work  they 
have  done  has  been  of  a  less  severe  character  than  the 
ideals  of  the  larger  university  demand, —  that  they  are 
less  exact  in  their  methods,  less  to  be  trusted  when  set  to 
find  out  precisely  what,  e.  g.,  a  given  author  says  upon  a 
given  page,  than  students  who  have  had  four  years  of  the 
generally  sterner  training  of  the  larger  institution.  But, 
even  for  the  graduate  of  the  larger  university,  a  wider  ac- 
quaintance with  his  elected  field,  and  a  more  rigorous 
exactness  of  work  in  that  field,  are  always  necessary.  In 
two  points,  then,  the  graduate  student  must  always  be 
set  to  bettering  his  equipment, —  in  point  of  quantity  and 
in  point  of  quality.  This  may  be  called  the  preliminary 
training  of  the  graduate  school. 

Secondly,  alongside  of  this  preliminary  training  in 
many  cases,  and  early  in  graduate  study,  at  any  rate, 
the  training  is  entered  upon  which  is  especially  designed 
to  call  out  any  inventive  powers,  any  powers  of  true  dis- 
covery and  production,  with  which  nature  may  have 
gifted  the  candidate.  The  methods  chosen  will  vary 
somewhat  in  different  departments;  but  the  brief  de- 
scription which  I  shall  give  of  the  method  that  seems  to 
me  the  sound  one  in  work  with  which  I  am  familiar  will 
certainly  afford  a  true  picture,  so  far  as  the  controlling 
spirit  is  concerned,  for  other  departments  as  well. 

First,  however,  let  me  say  that  there  are  certain  sine 


222  UNION    COLLEGE. 

qua  nons  for  successful  work  of  this  kind.  These  are  as 
follows : 

To  begin  with,  the  student  must  be  gifted  by  nature 
with  a  certain  amount  of  the  celestial  fire.  Like  the  poet, 
the  successful  graduate  student  must  be  both  born  and 
made.  In  the  ease  of  either  vocation,  a  stern  self-training 
may  possibly  replace  the  training  that  should  have  been 
given  by  others  of  more  intimate  experiences;  but  the 
being-to-the-manner-born  is  indispensable. 

The  second  prerequisite  is  of  almost  the  same  supreme 
importance,  though  it  is  often  sadly  left  out  of  the  reckon- 
ing. Our  great,  good-natured  public  is  disposed  to  think 
that  a  professor  is  a  professor,  just  as  a  street-organ  is  a 
street-organ,  with  the  distinction  only  that  some  profes- 
sors, like  some  organs,  perform  more  agreeably  than  others. 
It  is  the  common  idea  that  all  that  needs  be  done  in  order 
to  convert  a  college  into  a  true  universitj^  is  to  give  its 
professors  graduate  work,  by  getting  somebody  else  to  do 
the  nndergraduate  work.  As  well  might  you  hope  to 
succeed  if,  in  a  factory,  you  were  to  replace  an  inventor 
by  a  skilled  superintendent.  Luck  might  be  with  you, 
but  the  dice  are  loaded  the  other  way.  One  must,  there- 
fore, be  skeptical  at  times  when  a  college  or  university 
suddenly  announces  the  establishment  of  a  graduate 
school.  One  wants  to  ask,  "Where  are  your  specialists 
and  creative  workers  ?  What  publications  have  they  con- 
tributed to  science  1 "  It  is  the  common  supposition  that 
every  college  professor  is  a  specialist.  In  truth,  compara- 
tively few  are,  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  word.  I  re- 
member well  a  cultivated  clergyman's  saying  to  me  in 
my  college  days,  with  an  air  of  some  regret,  that  he  sup- 
posed scholarship  had  gone  so  far  that  it  was  no  longer 
possible  for  a  man  to  command  the  whole  of  human  know- 
ledge. I  smiled,  with  the  complacency  of  youth,  at  his 
conception  of  scholarship.  But  to-day  the  actual  state  of 
affairs  is  too  serious  to  admit  of  any  smiling.     In  every 


ADDRESS.  223 

direction,  investigation  lias  been  pushed  so  far  that  sul)- 
jects  once  thought  to  constitute  a  specialty  are  now  re- 
garded as  gi'oups  of  specialties.  Anatomy  and  physiology 
would,  not  long  ago,  have  been  supposed  to  conu^  easily 
within  the  field  of  the  biologist, — or,  at  any  rate,  they  would 
have  been  thought  of  as  lying  too  close  togethei*  for  any 
separation  from  (^ach  other.  Yet  to-day  they  are  being 
recognized  as  separate  departments,  on  the  ground  that 
each  forms  so  distinct  and  so  great  a  specialty  that  no 
man  can  be  a  leader  in  both.  Precisely  the  same  thing 
is  actually  the  case,  though  without  resulting  separation, 
with  many  subjects  thought  of  by  the  public  as  one  and 
indivisible.  See,  for  example,  what  is  covered  by  such 
a  department  as  Latin.  The  public  has  already  learned 
to  think  of  archaeology  as  something  separate,  and  is  be- 
ginning to  think  of  comparative  philology  as  separate; 
but  it  does  not  suspect  that  comparative  philology  com- 
prises two  subjects,  comparative  phonetics  and  compara- 
tive syntax,  entirely  distinct  from  each  other,  and  each 
so  vast  that  no  man  living  can  be  master  in  both.  And 
it  does  not  suspect  that  the  field  of  what  would  be  called 
Latin  proper,  for  instance,  covers  a  wide  range  of  sub- 
jects,—  a  great  and  extended  literature,  to  know  the  com- 
pass and  development  and  principles  of  interpretation  of 
which,  as  things  are  to-day  studied,  is  in  itself  a  life-task; 
further,  Roman  law ;  further,  Roman  public  adminis- 
tration; then  again  Roman  religion,  which  is  almost 
as  distinct  from  Roman  literature  as,  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  theology  is  from  English  literature ;  further, 
Roman  private  life;  further,  epigraphy;  further,  paleo- 
graphy; and,  finally,  textual  criticism,  which  bears  upon 
both  paleography  and  the  science  of  interpretation,  or 
hermeneutics.  In  every  one  of  these  fields  many  men 
in  different  parts  of  the  world, — in  Germany,  in  Italy,  in 
Russia,  in  Denmark,  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  in  Holland, 
in  France,  in  England,  and  in  America, — are  constantly 


224  UNION    COLLEGE. 

working  and  publishing.  It  is  a  difficult  task  to  keep  up 
with  what  is  done  even  for  the  interpretation  of  one  par- 
ticular author, — if  he  belongs  to  the  more  important  class, 
—  so  much  is  V)eing  turned  out  by  the  press.  And  the 
case  is  the  same  in  every  field.  Books  are  constantly 
appearing,  and  dissertations  and  other  monographs  of 
various  kinds.  The  monthly  hst  of  such  publications  is 
formidable.  But  this  is  only  a  part.  In  addition,  there 
are  journals,  so  numerous  that  the  popular  periodicals 
in  this  country  are  few  by  comparison.  There  are  two 
weeklies  solely  devoted  to  classics,  besides  some  four  or 
five  other  weeklies  which  are  sure  to  contain  classical  ar- 
ticles that  cannot  be  overlooked  by  the  specialist.  Then, 
solely  devoted  to  classics,  there  is  a  bi-weekly,  there  are 
eight  quarterlies,  and  there  are  eleven  monthlies.  In  ad- 
dition, there  are  the  papers  of  many  learned  societies, 
some  meeting  annually,  some  of tener ;  and  there  are  the 
various  series  of  studies  of  universities,  already  above  half 
a  dozen  in  number,  and  destiued  to  be  added  to.  I  count 
up  something  like  forty  philological  publications,  every 
one  of  which  ought  to  be  watched  by  an  advanced  worker, 
that  he  may  overlook  uothing  of  the  material  belonging 
to  his  particular  specialty  that  is  scattered  through  this 
great  mass.  It  makes  the  head  ache  and  the  heart  fail  to 
stop  to  think  of  it ;  and  yet,  without  this  sweep  of  activ- 
ity, which  is  like  the  rush  of  a  great  city,  life  would  be  a 
comparatively  dull  thing  to  a  man  of  the  specialist  type. 
But  you  see  the  necessary  inference  which  is  to  be  drawn 
from  the  mention  of  this  mass  of  production.  Latin, 
G-reek,  history,  biology,  chemistry,  are  to-day  no  longer 
specialties,— they  are  each  a  group  of  specialties,  often 
only  remotely  related  to  one  another.  To  say,  then,  that 
a  man  is  a  specialist  in  Latin,  or  a  specialist  in  history, 
is  to  say  almost  nothing  about  his  equipment.  He  must 
have  a  certain  knowledge  of  most  of  the  general  province 
in  which  he  works;  but,  in  addition,  he  must  have  an  ex- 


ADDRESS.  225 

tended  and  minute  knowledge  of  what  has  been  done  and 
what  is  doing  in  some  one  field  in  that  province.  Tliis, 
then,  is  the  second  condition  of  successful  graduate  work. 
It  is  not  sufficient  that  the  professed  leader  of  it  should 
be  an  estimable  gentleman  ;  he  must  have  the  knowledge 
of  a  specialist,  in  the  severest  sense  of  the  word. 

The  third  condition  is  still  harder  to  meet.  The  leader 
of  graduate  students  must  not  merely  be  a  leader  as  to- 
ward them,  while  as  toward  the  masters  in  his  craft  he  is 
but  a  follower.  He  must  himself  be  a  master,  or  have 
the  blood  of  mastery  stirring  in  him.  In  this  country,  as 
in  G-ermany,  the  professor  that  professes  graduate  work 
should  be  a  man  whose  forum  is,  or  at  any  rate  is  evi- 
dently soon  to  be,  the  world  of  scholars,  the  world  over,  in 
his  province.  This  means  that  he  must  have  the  power 
of  scientific  divination.  His  scholarship  must  not  be  of 
the  recipient  type,  but  of  the  creative. 

But  the  power  of  divination  in  itself  is  not  all.  The 
successful  worker  has  a  fascinating,  but  a  severe,  life.  He 
must  be  possessed  not  only  of  insight,  but  of  the  power 
of  long  and  strenuous  labor,  that  looks  through  many 
years  to  an  end.  And  to  be  able  to  spend  this  absolutely 
necessary  labor  upon  the  field  of  his  intended  successes, 
he  must  have  leisure  from  much  teaching  and  from  much 
executive  work.  Hardly  a  man  in  America  yet  has  this 
in  any  degree  which  to  a  European  scholar  would  seem 
tolerable. 

We  have  now  seen  the  four  requisites  of  true  graduate 
work  of  the  highest  kind, — one  for  the  student,  three  for 
the  professor :  for  the  student  some  measure  of  the  divine 
afflatus  within  the  breast ;  for  the  professor,  first,  a  com- 
manding knowledge  of  a  specialty,  in  the  strictest  sense ; 
second,  creative  power ;  and  third,  leisure  for  creative 
work. 

President  Grilman  is  reported  once  to  have  said  that,  in 
order  to  found  a  university,  all  you  had  to  do  was  to  get  a 
15 


226  UNION    COLLEGE. 

professor  of  Grreek  and  a  professor  of  mathematics;  mean- 
ing thereby,  of  course,  not  that  these  two  subjects  were 
all  that  needed  to  be  provided  for,  but  that  men  were 
wanted  first,  and  brick  and  mortar  only  secondarily. 
Adopting  his  form  of  statement,  one  may  say  that  for  a 
seminary,  the  theater  of  the  highest  graduate  work,  only 
two  things  are  needed,  a  student  of  dormant  creative 
power  and  a  professor  of  active  creative  performance. 
But  what  is  a  seminary  ?  At  the  end  of  a  long  sitting  of 
a  convention  at  Albany  a  few  years  ago,  some  one  rose 
and  said  :  "  I  thauk  heaven  that  this  day's  discussion  has 
at  last  shown  me  what  a  seminary  is.  A  seminary  ap- 
pears to  be  a  long  table."  The  description  is  incomplete, 
but  it  is  very  good  as  far  as  it  goes.  The  long  table, 
about  which  the  professor  and  his  students  sit  side  by 
side  and  on  the  same  physical  level,  is  the  visible  symbol 
of  an  aim  and  a  method.  James  Russell  Lowell,  in  my 
student  days,  once  addressed  his  audience  of  undergrad- 
uates as  "gentlemen  and  fellow-students."  The  words 
meant  a  great  deal,  and  characterized  the  spirit  that  has 
gradually  developed  a  true  university  out  of  the  college 
of  John  Harvard.  And  yet  it  is  very  difficult  to  feel 
yourself  the  fellow-student  and  co-worker  of  a  man  who 
sits  above  you  on  a  high  platform.  The  long  table 
means,  or  should  mean,  a  true  fellowship.  It  means  the 
admission  of  the  student  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  pro- 
fessor's craft  and  to  partnership  in  the  professor's  own 
investigations.  The  professor  will,  if  he  follows  the 
course  which  seems  to  me  the  only  true  one,  lead  his 
students  into  the  field  of  his  own  most  advanced  work. 
He  will  first  have  to  stay  with  them  some  time  at  the  en- 
trance, giving  them  conceptions  of  methods  of  explora- 
tion, past  and  present,  of  dangers  to  be  avoided,  and  of 
help  to  be  obtained.  Then  he  will  carry  them  on  to  some 
of  the  simpler  problems  which  he  has  himself  solved,  or 
thinks  he  has  solved,  and  of  which  the  solutions  are  not 


ADDRESS.  227 

yet  printed;  or  perhaps  lie  will  set  them  to  test  opposing 
solutions  that  have  been  propounded  in  the  past  by  dif- 
fei'ent  investigators,  or  to  test  solutions  in  the  current 
journals.  In  the  doing  of  this  work,  and  in  the  discus- 
sion that  follows  around  the  "  long  table,"  the  members 
of  the  seminary  will  gradually  gain  points  of  view,  and 
come  to  understand  the  general  nature  of  procedure  in 
the  collection  and  use  of  evidence.  And  finally,  the 
teacher  will  lead  his  students  straight  on  into  the  unex- 
plored or  half-explored  country  in  which  he  is  himself 
working,  showing  them  where  he  himself  has  run  against 
a  precipice,  or  where  he  is  entangled  in  a  jungle.  In  the 
course  of  time, —  for  this  is  not  a  rapid  process,  to  be  un- 
dertaken for  completion  within  a  definite  period  under 
contract, —  the  powers  of  the  student  unfold.  He  reaches 
his  intellectual  majority,  and  becomes  capable  of  going 
on  without  a  hand  to  guide  him,  of  finding  a  field  and 
turning  explorer  for  himself.  The  fruits  of  his  indepen- 
dent investigation,  if  he  succeeds  in  accomplishing  such 
a  thing,  are  shown  in  a  thesis  forming  an  actual  contri- 
bution to  existing  knowledge.  He  is  then  rigidly  ex- 
amined on  the  subject  of  this  special  work,  and,  less  rig- 
idly, in  the  various  fields  of  his  general  province ;  after 
which,  if  successful,  he  is  admitted  to  the  noble  army  of 
doctors, —  that  is,  of  men  intellectually  equipped  for 
teaching. 

But  what  of  the  people  who,  with  the  best  of  desires 
and  with  good  ability  in  many  ways,  prove  not  to  have 
been  gifted  by  nature  with  the  creative  power  ?  They 
generally  themselves  recognize  the  fact  before  they  come 
to  the  final  steps,  or  it  is  pointed  out  to  them  by  their 
teachers ;  and  they  are  then  obliged  to  rest  content  with 
the  intermediate  degree  of  Master, —  an  honorable  and 
very  desirable  degree  in  itself,  recording  the  fact  that  the 
holder  has  show^n  scholarly  aptitude  and  the  possession 
of  a  considerable  knowledge  in  some  department  of  work, 


228  UNION    COLLEGE. 

but  not  implyiDg  that  he  has  evinced  creative  power. 
But  the  labor  of  these  students,  who  have  desired  the 
highest  of  a  certain  kind  and  have  not  reached  it,  is  by  no 
means  lost.  They  have  gained  in  their  range  of  know- 
ledge and  in  their  intellectual  sympathies  and  apprecia- 
tions. To  have  done  graduate  work  makes  life  better 
for  them,  just  as  to  have  had  an  undergraduate  course 
makes  life  better  for  any  man,  whether  he  is  going  into  a 
profession,  into  business,  or  into  neither. 

For  those,  on  the  other  hand,  who  have  succeeded, 
graduate  work  leads  to  a  new  source  of  power  and  a  new 
inspiration.  It  furnishes  something  that  makes  the  in- 
tellectual life  doubly  worth  living.  The  teacher  who  is 
only  a  teacher  may  possibly  be  a  good  teacher,  but  his 
days  are  uneventful.  He  knows  nothing  of  the  pleasure 
of  the  search,  nothing  of  the  joy  of  discovery,  nothing  of 
the  —  at  least  —  stimulating  disappointment  of  failure. 

I  have  endeavored,  then,  to  make  clear  what  the  essen- 
tial character  of  graduate  work  is.  The  limits  of  time 
will  permit  me  only  to  restate  formally  two  necessary  in- 
ferences already  glanced  at,  which  are  to  be  drawn  from 
that  character.     These  are  as  follows : 

First,  our  American  colleges  and  universities  can  rise 
from  their  imperfect  condition  and  gain  a  recognition  for 
scholarship  not  now  accorded  to  them,  only  through  the 
spread  of  the  spirit  of  creative  work.  The  best  conveyor 
of  a  spirit  is  a  man  who  is  animated  with  it.  This  means 
that,  in  the  appointment  of  instructors  to  fill  vacant 
posts,  those  young  men  and  young  women  should  receive 
the  preference  who,  besides  being  gentlemen  and  gentle- 
women,—  the  first  of  all  requirements  for  a  teacher, — 
have  given  clear  proof  of  being  so  animated. 

Secondly,  the  attempt  should  not  be  made  to  establish 
graduate  schools  at-many  places.  The  graduate  school  is 
difficult  to  equip,  both  because  it  is  hard  to  find,  for  its 
teachers,  men  who  have  themselves  done  creative  work 


ADDEESS.  229 

of  recognized  value,  and  because  it  is  prodigiously  ex- 
pensive to  set  aside  the  labor  of  these  men  for  the  in- 
struction of  a  comparatively  small  number  of  students. 
What  all  but  ten  or  twelve,  at  the  utmost,  of  the  universi- 
ties of  this  country  ought  in  the  present  century  to  do 
is  to  undertake  the  task,  not  of  conducting  graduate 
work,  but  of  carrying  into  the  undergraduate  courses  as 
much  as  possible  of  the  independence  of  thought  and 
severity  of  method  which  characterize  true  graduate 
work,  and  so  of  better  equij^ping  their  students,  whether 
for  a  graduate  school  elsewhere,  for  professional  study,  or 
for  immediate  entrance  into  active  life. 

President  Gilman  said : 

Another  phase  of  the  university  question  will  next  be  presented 
to  us  by  the  President  of  Clark  University,  who  is  always  wel- 
come in  assemblages  like  this,  not  merely  because  of  the  high 
station  that  he  holds,  but  because  he  has  made  his  life-work  the 
study  of  mind  and  the  laws  of  pedagogy.  I  will  also  add  that 
the  third  speaker  of  the  evening,  Chancellor  MacCracken,  has 
not  appeared  and  will  not  speak  this  evening,  so  that  the  next 
speakei-  will  be  the  last.  If  you  are  disappointed  in  hearing  that 
Chancellor  MacCracken  will  not  address  you,  I  will  say  for  your 
consolation  that  I  counted  up  the  number  of  addresses  that  are  to 
be  delivered  here  in  the  next  three  days  and  found  there  were 
forty-seven,  besides  some  occasions  at  which  speakers  will  appear 
whose  names  are  not  now  known.  You  are  sure  to  be  rewarded 
by  listening  to  an  address  by  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall,  of  Clark  Uni- 
versity, in  Worcester. 


15* 


ADDRESS 

BY  PRESIDENT   HALL. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  Mr.  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentle- 
men :  Half  of  an  address  on  an  occasion  like  this  is 
the  introduction  of  the  speaker,  and  I  am  very  fortunate 
in  the  introduction  which  has  just  been  given  me,  com- 
paratively so  at  least;  for  I  would  rather  be  the  forty- 
seventh  man  who.  President  Gilman  says,  is  to  address 
you  before  this  celebration  is  ended,  than  to  be  introduced 
as  I  was  only  a  few  weeks  ago  to  an  academic  audience  a 
good  ways  west  of  the  Missouri  River.  I  arrived  at  the 
place  where  I  was  to  speak  a  little  late  and,  as  it  hap- 
pened, upon  the  same  train,  as  I  afterwards  found,  came  the 
presiding  officer  of  the  meeting.  We  had  three  minutes 
to  eat  our  dinner  together  before  the  speaking  began,  and 
we  did  not  get  very  well  acquainted  in  that  time,  for  the 
presiding  officer  introduced  me  in  this  way :  "  Ladies  and 
gentlemen :  I  have  great  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  as 
the  next  speaker  a  man  who  is  known  as  Mr.  — ,"  and  there 
he  stopped.  The  secretary  of  the  meeting  helped  him 
out  by  passing  up  my  name  written  on  a  piece  of  paper ; 
then  he  said,  "Mr.  Hall,"  and  began  again:  "Mr.  Hall 
comes  to  us  from  one  of  the  new  foundations  of  the  East, 
which  you  all  know  as — " — [laughter]  —  there  he  stuck 
again,  and  the  secretary  passed  up  a  card  on  which  was 
written  "  Clark  University,  Worcester,  Mass.";  then  he  be- 
gan with  fresh  zeal :  "  Mr.  Hall,  our  speaker  to-night,  is 


ADDRESS.  231 

knowu  as  — ,"  and  then  the  secretary  could  not  help  him. 
[Laughter.]  And  so  he  finally  said :  "  Well,  to  tell  the 
honest  truth,  I  never  heard  of  the  man  nor  of  his  university 
before —  [laughter]  —  but  I  have  had  about  three  minutes' 
talk  with  him,  and  I  would  n't  be  a  mite  surprised  if,  un- 
like that  dude  from  England,  Oscar  Wilde,  he  had  a  little 
bit  of  good  Western  common-sense."  [Laughter.]  Now, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  might,  perhaps,  almost  take  com- 
mon-sense as  my  theme,  because  I  do  not  know  any  higher 
form  of  science  than  that  ready,  quick,  available  know- 
ledge of  nature  and  of  mind  which  is  the  best  thing  a 
man  can  carry  about  with  him ;  and  the  more  perfect  the 
knowledge  the  more  practicable  it  is  and  the  more  ser- 
viceable at  once ;  and  if  I  were  to  define  the  end  of  the 
university,  I  think  I  should  say  that  it  is  not  only  to  dis- 
cover truth,  but  to  make  it  common  coin  everywhere,  to 
put  it  into  such  shape  that  it  filters  down  through  the 
lower  grades,  through  the  college,  through  the  high-school, 
into  the  grammar-school,  and  becomes  the  common  pos- 
session of  everybody — becomes,  in  short,  the  common- 
sense  of  the  multitude. 

A  university  is  really  nothing  but  a  corporation.  Some 
people  attribute  to  it,  because  of  its  historical  association, 
a  complete  set  of  faculties  besides  the  philosophical  facul- 
ties. But  "  university  "  means  simply  a  corporation ;  and 
while  I  would  not  undertake  to  begin  my  rather  desultory 
remarks  with  any  definition  of  university,  I  think  one 
characteristic  of  it  is  that  it  is  a  place  where  pioneer 
work  is  done  in  the  realm  of  the  soul.  That  definition  is 
vague  enough  certainly  to  commend  itself,  I  think,  in 
some  quarters. 

The  first  specific  feature  is  one  which  has  already  been 
touched  upon  by  the  admirable  survey  of  Professor  Hale 
to  whom  you  have  just  listened — specialization.  I  wish 
sometimes  that  college  men  would  think  twice  before 
they  speak  about  general  culture  and  the  culture  of  char- 


232  UNION    COLLEGE. 

acter,  which  we  know  is  fundamental  for  everything  and 
everybody,  as  if  it  were  in  any  degree  inconsistent  with 
speciaUzation.  On  the  contrary,  proper  specialization 
demands  the  very  best  kind  of  character — truthfulness, 
integrity,  morality  in  every  direction,  self-sacrifice,  and 
what  perhaps  includes  them  all,  enthusiasm  for  the  highest 
ideals  of  living  and  thinking.  So  that  specialization,  as 
I  believe,  if  precocious  is  one  of  the  most  dwarfing  things ; 
but  if  it  is  built  on  a  proper  basis,  if  the  foundation  is 
large  and  solid,  so  that  the  superstructure  will  be  stable, 
specialization  cannot  be  carried  too  far. 

When  you  come  to  think  of  it,  the  workl  to-day  is 
ruled  in  every  department  by  the  specialist.  In  the  sick 
room  it  is  the  specialist  that  says  the  deciding  word, 
whether  this  or  that  operation  shall  be  performed  or 
what  the  treatment  shall  be.  In  the  Congressional  com- 
mittee-room it  is  the  expert  that  determines  whether  this 
or  that  amount  of  money  is  necessary  in  that  great  en- 
gineering scheme  or  in  anything  else.  In  all  matters  that 
pertain  to  administration,  whether  in  municipality.  State, 
or  nation,  in  scientific  matters,  iu  everything  that  makes 
civilization,  laying  out  streets,  building  great  houses, 
business  ventures  —  all  seem  to  depend  more  and  more 
upon  the  expert ;  so  that,  more  than  ever  before,  the 
world  is  ruled  by  experts,  by  those  men  who  have  pushed 
to  the  front  and  have  had  as  their  ideal  to  know  every- 
thing that  could  be  known  about  some  little  point.  And, 
therefore,  I  believe  that  there  should  always  be  in  this 
gi'eat  flood  of  commencement  eloquence  that  is  poui'ed 
out  like  everlasting  showers  from  heaven  upon  our  acad- 
emic youth  at  this  season  of  the  year — I  believe  that  there 
should  always  be  among  the  ideals  held  up,  that  of  going 
to  the  frontier,  of  being  no  longer  content  to  be  an  echo, 
but  the  ideal  of  being  an  authority  upon  some  point,  ever 
so  small  though  it  be.  That  ideal  saves  many  a  young 
man ;  it  makes  many  a  career.      There  are  a  great  many 


ADDRESS.  233 

men  whose  ability  is  of  such  an  order  and  of  such  an 
amount  that  if  they  attempt  many  things  they  are  lost ; 
but  there  is  almost  no  one  of  average  talent  who,  if  he 
but  focus  sharply  enough,  cannot  achieve  distinction  and 
render  great  service  in  the  world  to-day.  So  I  have  great 
respect  for  the  man  who  has  deliberately  taken  as  his  ideal 
to  know  all  that  can  be  known  about  some  little  thing. 
It  is  a  high  and  noble  ideal,  and  far  from  being  incon- 
sistent with  the  other  ideal,  which  should  never  be  for- 
gotten in  all-round  culture  of  all  the  faculties  of  the  soul 
and  of  the  body.  Its  only  basis  should  be  these,  and 
these  should  be  its  universal  and  inexorable  prerequisite. 
I  am  very  fond  of  telling  a  little  experience  of  my  own 
many  years  ago,  when  I  went  fresh  from  the  neighboring 
college  of  Williams  to  Germany  to  study.  I  went  at  a 
time  when  the  senior  year  was  always  spelled  with  a  big 
"  S,"  and  a  senior  felt  he  must  rather  repress  his  omnisci- 
ence, and  it  was  somewhat  difficult,  as  he  believed,  to  af- 
fect the  necessary  modesty  when  he  returned  to  his  ac- 
customed niche.  Because  in  those  days  the  senior  year 
was  designed  to  be  the  finishing  year,  and  there  was  left 
with  a  young  man  who  had  "  finished  "  a  sense  of  finality 
which  was  the  greatest  injury  of  the  old  college  course, 
before  the  university  movement  began.  Well,  I  went  to 
Germany  after  I  had  "  finished  "  and  to  a  renowned  pro- 
fessor in  one  of  the  universities  there  and  told  him  what 
I  wanted  to  do  and  said,  "  What  would  you  advise  ? "  He 
said,  "  What  have  you  studied  f "  I  ran  over  the  whole 
curriculum ;  and  he  said,  "  What  do  you  want  to  do  ! "  I 
told  him  I  wanted  to  study  the  human  soul,  the  brain  in 
its  relation  to  the  body,  and  the  mind  in  its  relation  to 
the  will.  He  said,  "  Well,  give  me  a  day  to  think  about 
it."  I  went  the  next  day  and  he  said:  "I  think  your 
best  course  is  to  spend  your  first  year  in  Germany  in 
studying  one  of  the  muscles  of  a  frog's  leg."  I  assure  you 
I  felt  that  that  was  a  great  humiliation  for  a  senior,  and 


234  UNION    COLLEGE. 

a  postgraduate  at  that,  to  study  the  leg  of  a  bull-frog. 
Nevertheless,  I  thought  I  would  begin  and  see  how  it 
went ;  and  so  with  the  professor's  assistance  we  went  to 
work  and  worked  a  week  oi-  two,  and  the  study  grew 
rather  interesting.  I  found  that  I  had  to  know  a  little 
about  electricity  in  a  more  thorough  way  than  I  ever  had 
known  it  before ;  I  had  to  study  np  a  whole  branch  of 
physiology.  I  found  the  muscles  of  a  frog  were  just  like 
human  muscles.  I  found  the  muscles  of  the  average 
human  body  were  one-half  of  the  body  by  weight  and 
expended  something  like  two-fifths  of  all  its  energy  meas- 
ured in  foot-pounds.  I  found  that  the  muscles  worked 
with  the  greatest  mathematical  accuracy  and  that  all  could 
be  made  exact  by  giving  the  frog  an  artificial  blood  of  .6 
of  one  per  cent,  of  salt.  I  say  that  I  got  interested,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  first  year  I  went  off  to  the  mountains 
with  a  great  chest  full  of  books;  for  I  had  concluded  I 
would  really  like  to  know  something  about  the  muscle  in 
this  frog's  leg ;  and  I  spent  the  entire  second  year  upon 
that  question,  because  I  had  then  recognized  that  the 
muscles  were  the  only  organs  of  the  will;  that  they  had 
done  all  the  work  in  the  world,  that  they  built  all  the 
temples,  the  highest  religious  structures,  made  all  the 
machinery,  made  all  the  books,  and  spoken  all  the  words 
— had  done  everything  that  man  had  ever  done,  that  you 
would  never  know  of  any  such  thing  as  will  but  for  the 
muscles;  and  that  they,  therefore,  were  the  organs  by 
Avhich  you  could  make  the  best  approach  to  the  study  of 
the  human  soul.  Well,  after  the  close  of  the  second  year, 
although  I  had  contributed  but  the  smallest  mite  to  the 
great  temple  of  science,  I  had  nevertheless  learned  the 
great  lesson  that  the  world  has  one  core,  that  there  is 
unity  pervading  it  all,  and  that  you  cannot  begin  to 
study  any  subject  minutely  without  finding  that,  like  old 
Thor  in  attempting  to  lift  up  the  snake  that  coiled  round 
the  world,  you  had  got  hold  of  infinity,  that  you  were 


ADDRESS.  235 

studying  the  real  nature  of  man,  (lod,  and  the  world; 
for  in  these  days  of  evolution  and  the  conservation  of 
energy,  it  makes  very  little  difference  where  you  enter 
this  great  temple  of  truth,  provided  only  you  get  in.  In 
this  study  then  I  had  passed  from  the  attitude  of  Peter 
Bell,  of  whom  the  poet  tells  us,  "A  primrose  by  a 
river's  brim,  a  yellow  primrose  was  to  him,  and  it  was 
nothing  more,"  in  the  presence  of  this  tiny  bit  of  muscle, 
—  I  had  passed  from  this  standpoint  up  to  that  other 
standpoint  of  that  higher  poet  who  culled  a  flower  from 
a  crannied  wall  and  said,  "  If  I  did  but  know  what  it  is, 
branch,  stem,  root,  and  all,  I  should  know  what  God  is 
and  what  man  is."  I  had  learned  the  "  omne  tulit  punc- 
tum" — nature's  organic  unity,  that  she  is  one  to  the 
core ;  and  that  cannot  be  learned  these  days  except  by 
the  method  of  specialization. 

My  second  point  has  also  been  already  touched  upon  by 
Dr.  Hale,  and  is  very  closely  connected  with  this.  The 
college  work,  as  we  know,  is  very  largely  a  work  of  ac- 
quisition. It  is  culture,  as  President  Gilman  is  fond  of 
saying;  the  college  years  should  be  years  of  discipline,  of 
training,  of  putting  a  man  in  possession  of  his  faculties 
and  getting  him  ready  really  to  acquire  and  really  to  use 
the  tools  he  works  by.  There  is  a  method  which  I  believe 
is  an  especial  feature  and  type  of  the  university  to-day, 
and  I  would  see  its  method  carried  down  even  into  the 
college.  When  a  young  man  gets  to  be  twenty-three, 
twenty-four,  twenty-five,  or  twenty-six,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  he  is  approaching  an  age  when  a  long  cramming 
for  examination  is  not  the  best  kind  of  an  education 
he  can  receive.  The  carrying  power  of  the  mind  does 
not  measure  power;  the  student  must  be  tested  by  what 
he  can  do  rather  than  by  what  he  knows ;  and  it  is  this 
creative  power,  this  enthusiasm  which  nothing  but  the 
methods  of  creativeness  can  reach,  that  I  believe  is  one 
of  the  chief  functions  of  the  university  to  cultivate.     It 


236  UNION    COLLEGE. 

teaches  men  to  think,  and  that  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to 
do.  Along  with  the  good  work  which  the  colleges  have 
done,  it  is  amusing  to  see  what  a  long  list  of  modes  of 
avoiding  thought  colleges  have  multiplied  and  perpetu- 
ated. I  have  a  lecture  on  that  subject,  but  it  would  take 
an  hour  at  least  to  deliver  it,  and  I  would  not  enter  upon 
it  here.  The  lecture  is  one  upon  self-deception,  or  avoid- 
ing work,  which  colleges  and  high  schools  have  inculcated. 
These  matters  are  very  insidious ;  they  often  give  us  the 
conceit  of  learning  without  real  learning ;  they  make  us 
feel  that  we  are  really  making  progress  when  we  are  only 
marking  time ;  but  when  you  set  the  man  down  before 
a  real  problem,  you  test  his  mentality  and  know  whether 
he  has  anything  in  him  or  not ;  give  him  a  definite  ques- 
tion in  one  field  or  another,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  give 
him  an  exact  problem ;  then  he  is  put  upon  his  mettle. 
I  have  seen  young  men  show  magnificent  powers  of  or- 
derly thought,  that  had  long  remained  unused,  when  put 
to  this  test;  and  there  is  nothing  more  interesting  than 
to  see  one  who  has  dawdled  along  through  college  when 
he  is  compelled  to  meet  and  master  a  real  problem,  swing 
out  into  the  current  of  thought.  No  man  can  master 
problems  simply  because  he  has  studied  so  many  differ- 
ent things,  and  has  stuffed  himself  with  a  certain  amount 
of  knowledge  and  has  a  ticket  attached  to  him  showing 
his  contents,  like  a  vessel  loaded  with  goods,  with  200 
bales,  or  500  boxes  of  this  or  that ;  but  the  man  discovers 
that  he  needs  to  read  in  order  to  take  up  his  subject 
and  pursue  the  special  line  of  investigation  in  which  his 
enthusiasm  has  been  thoroughly  aroused — it  is  a  reason 
to  read  and  acquire  information.  Even  if  a  young  man 
who  has  had  this  experience  does  not  add  anything  to 
the  sum  of  human  knowledge,  the  effort  to  do  so  gives 
him  new  ideals  and  a  higher  ambition ;  it  brings  out  his 
powers.  And  when  you  come  to  think  about  it,  that  is 
really  the  discipline  of  life.    Ask  any  business  man  whe- 


ADDRESS.  237 

thei"  his  business  successes  have  been  achieved  by  rou- 
tine, by  method,  by  following  old  paths,  or  whether  it  is 
not  by  investigation  and  research,  looking  new  facts,  or 
new  combinations  of  facts,  in  the  face  and  working  one's 
way  out.  That  is  magnificent  common-sense,  clarified, 
transfigured  common-sense,  if  you  please;  but  it  is  com- 
mon-sense at  the  top  of  the  ladder  of  science  just  as  well 
as  common-sense  at  the  bottom.  But  there  is  another 
thing  no  less  important  than  the  spirit  of  research  which 
should  always  be  cultivated  in  university  work;  and  that 
is  that  research  and  its  results  and  possibilities  should 
teach  a  genuine  attitude  of  respect,  a  reverence  for  the 
efii'orts  of  all  seekers  for  truth.  As  I  visit  educational 
institutions  of  to-day  and  study  these  problems,  I  am 
more  and  more  impressed  with  what  I  think  is  the  great- 
est danger  of  all  dangers  that  menace  education  to-day, 
and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  it  is  greater  in  this  country 
than  anywhere  else;  and  that  is  the  growing  tendency 
on  the  part  of  young  men  to  look  somewhat  askance  at 
enthusiasm,  at  zeal,  at  ardor;  to  look,  perhaps  not  in  a 
cynical  way,  but  rather  with  indifference,  and  even  con- 
tempt, toward  real,  hearty,  whole-souled  self-abandon- 
ment to  any  intellectual  pursuit.  I  think  that  is  the 
spirit  which  prevails,  in  some  institutions  more  than  in 
others,  in  some  men  more  than  in  others,  but  which 
is  penetrating  down  into  the  high  school.  Only  a  few 
weeks  ago  at  a  graded  high  school  address  in  the  East, 
the  spirit  of  want  of  enthusiasm,  this  desire  to  be  so 
preternaturally  and  precociously  staid,  was  deplored.  It 
has  affected  the  freshmen  and  sub-freshmen.  The  time 
was  when  the  freshman  was  a  little  green,  a  little  gawky, 
a  little  awkward.  It  is  not  so  nowadays.  The  freshman, 
the  very  day  of  entering  college,  wants  you  to  understand 
distinctly  (and  it  is  true)  that  he  has  cut  his  eye-teeth, 
and  that  there  is  nothing  green  about  him  whatever.  He 
knows  what  is  what.     Sometimes  he  has  sucked  almost 


238  UNION    COLLEGE. 

all  the  juice  out  of  the  orange  of  life.  I  have  had  occa- 
sion this  very  year  to  look  over  a  great  stack  of  college 
journals  with  reference  to  one  particular  thing,  and  the 
conclusion,  as  will  appear  in  the  published  results,  is 
that,  while  your  collegian  is  to-day  a  mighty  clever  fel- 
low, while  he  has  cut  his  eye-teeth,  while  he  knows  what 
is  what  better  than  the  collegian  did  a  generation  ago, 
and  knows  it  better  and  better,  there  are  some  things 
he  cannot  do.  He  can  write  a  mighty  clever  burlesque 
or  satire  or  other  thing  of  the  kind,  and  act  it  also  very 
well ;  yet  for  i-eal  education,  for  effective  work  and  crea- 
tive energy,  the  American  collegian,  in  spite  of  his  too 
great  age,  which  is  often  deplored,  lacks  something,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  and  that  lack  which  I  wish  to  be  defined 
better  is,  I  believe,  the  direction  in  which  our  greatest 
danger  lies  to-day.  I  think  that  the  greatest  work  of  the 
world,  the  creative  work,  has  been  performed  by  men 
who  have  not  reached  thirty-five.  The  golden  period  of 
life  is  the  period  of  youth ;  and  if  these  years  do  not 
bring  enthusiasui  which  lifts  a  man  into  the  stars,  which 
makes  us  lose  the  fear  that  we  shall  be  a  little  awkward, 
which  makes  us  self-forgetful — if  we  have  lost  that  power, 
perhaps  it  is  unpopular,  perhaps  it  is  a  little  rash,  I  claim 
that  that  loss  of  power  is  not  made  up  by  a  little  short 
fellow  who  knows  of  no  way  of  adding  to  his  stature  ex- 
cept by  turning  up  his  nose.  [Laughter.]  I  remember 
reading  a  great  many  years  ago  in  one  of  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes's  books  an  account  of  a  tribe  which  the  writer 
had  discovered,  who,  when  any  great  thing  was  proposed, 
were  wont  to  say,  "  Pooh,  pooh !  Nothing  can  be  done. 
Don't  get  excited ;  don't  fret  yourselves."  That  attitude 
of  pooh-poohing,  I  think,  is  a  danger  in  many  sections  of 
our  academic  life  to-day.  I  do  not  know  the  cause  of  it 
to  a  certainty,  but  there  is,  I  think,  at  least  one  cause  of 
it  of  which  I  will  speak  in  a  moment  and  then  sit  down. 
I  know  but  one  cause  of  it,  and  I  believe  that  in  the  di- 


ADDRESS.  239 

agnosis  I  am  not  mistaken.  When  I  was  a  small  boy  at 
home  and  read  a  kind  of  forbidden  yellow-covered  litera- 
ture, I  was  inspired  with  a  desire  to  be  an  Indian ;  and 
when  I  see  these  fellows  that  go  round  pooh-poohing,  the 
old  fervor  for  the  Indian  nature  returns,  and  again  would 
I  like  to  be  an  Indian  —  a-Kickapoo.  [Laughter.]  The 
period  of  adolescence  is  that  long  critical  period  which 
begins  with  the  teens.  It  is  sometimes  called  the  "  hob- 
bledehoy "  period ;  it  has  a  great  many  comic  as  well  as 
a  great  many  scientific  names.  It  extends,  as  it  is  now 
thought,  well  on  toward  thirty  in  men  and  only  to  a 
somewhat  less  advanced  point  in  women.  That  period 
is  the  critical  period  of  life.  It  is  the  period  of  regenera- 
tion and  new  birth.  Nature  gives  to  aid  us  then  our  great 
sum  of  inheritance.  We  hear  from  far-back  ancestry  and 
remote  lines  of  inheritance.  Those  who  up  to  that  time 
seem  like  their  father  begin  to  show  maternal  traits ;  and 
those  who  in  their  bodies  up  to  that  time  show  only  their 
parents,  begin  to  show  their  grandparents.  They  begin 
to  open  all  the  floodgates  of  ancestry.  Mr.  Galton  says 
if  we  reckon  eight  great-grandparents  to  the  individual, 
most  of  us  have  had  something  like  twenty-two  millions 
of  ancestors ;  and  we  hear  from  a  good  many  of  these 
then  in  this  critical  period  of  adolescence.  But  the  sin- 
gular thiug  about  that  is  that  where  it  occurs  in  a  pure 
blood,  as  in  the  Germans,  for  instance,  or  Jews,  or  as  in 
the  case  of  most  of  the  ancient  stocks,  there  seems  to  be 
a  sort  of  instinctive  natural  tendency  that  carries  yoimg 
men  safely  through  it  without  dangerous  perturbations 
and  without  too  great  suddenness  of  change;  but  the 
biological  principles  of  mixture  of  bloods  bring  this  great 
change  wherever  nations  are  mixed,  as  we  are  in  this 
country  particularly,  so  that  a  great  many  ethnic  stocks 
flow  in  all  our  bloods.  This  period  comes  not  only  more 
suddenly,  but  with  greater  fervor  and  heat,  and  it  comes 
and  goes  with  a  panic;  it  comes  toward  that  period  of 


240  UNION    COLLEGE. 

life  and  goes  at  the  later  period ;  and  when  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  fact  that  parental  restraint  is  removed 
in  onr  country  earlier  than  it  is  elsewhere,  I  think  that  it 
points  to  a  possibility  of  great  danger  in  the  future ;  and 
I  connect  it  in  my  own  thought  with  the  fact  that  this 
country  beats  all  creation  in  the  production  of  text-books. 
Your  own  great  master,  Hickok,  whose  text-books  we  use, 
was  one  of  the  very  first  and  best  of  these  men.  About  two 
years  ago  I  had  occasion  to  look  over  and  count  up  the  list 
of  text-books  addi-essed  to  young  men  pertaining  to  moral 
subjects  designed  to  steady  them  through  this  period, 
having  titles  such  as,  "Young  Man's  Own  Book"  and 
"  Practical  Lessons  on  Moral  Science."  I  comprehended 
in  my  list  a  little  over  three  hundred  of  such  books  as 
these  produced  in  this  country  alone,  and  found  that,  as 
far  as  any  proper  estimate  could  be  made,  there  were 
two  or  three  times  as  many  in  this  country  as  in  Ger- 
many, for  instance ;  so  that  the  conclusion  was  obvious 
that  our  people  either  have  an  unusual  pedagogic  predi- 
lection for  literature  of  this  kind,  or  else  our  young  peo- 
ple are  in  need  of  an  unusual  amount  of  advice  upon  this 
subject.  I  leave  these  two  facts  standing  together,  the 
precocity  of  our  young  people  and  the  existence  of  this 
abundant  literature  designed  for  their  guidance.  I  will 
not  dwell  upon  this,  though  it  opens  up  a  very  large  field 
of  discussion  and  inquiry. 

I  believe  the  university  always  ought  to  teach  as  well 
as  to  investigate.  There  is  a  very  great  difference  be- 
tween having  a  man  as  a  teacher  who  is  himself  a  master 
of  research,  and  one  who  does  not  know  what  research  is 
even  in  college  work.  If  a  man  has  been  inflamed  with 
a  real  love  of  knowledge  and  knows  what  the  emotion  is, 
he  is  a  better  teacher  ever  after  that;  a  man  who  has 
contributed  ever  so  little  toward  the  sum  total  of  know- 
ledge teaches  after  that  with  something  of  fire  and  ani- 
mation;  he  is  touched  with  something  of  the  creative 


ADDRESS.  241 

spirit;  he  speaks  with  \vh;it  Phito  calls  the  true  enthusi- 
asm which  was  only  a  kind  of  preparation. 

The  best  pedagogue  is-  a  man  who  has  striven  with 
uew  problems,  even  if  he  has  not  found  their  solution.  It 
is  an  inspiration  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  such  a  man ;  it  is 
guidance  for  life.  So  I  think  that  one  of  the  best  things 
in  the  university  is  passed  along  down  in  this  day  when 
so  many  of  the  influences  are  at  work  from  above  down- 
ward in  the  new  inspiration  of  this  mode  of  teaching. 

To  my  mind,  the  conclusion  of  this  university  move- 
ment is  this :  It  is  very  new.  It  really  almost  began  with 
the  great  sagacity  of  the  president  of  Johns  Hopkins 
University,  who  said  early  in  the  seventies  that  which 
was  said  there  in  Baltimore  again  last  year  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  high  school :  We  care  not  for  numbers.  We 
cross-section  all  of  these  lines  of  endeavor.  We  want  re- 
search. We  want  the  few  best.  We  want  them  to  think. 
But  instead  of  extending  the  high  school,  it  is  a  crying 
need  of  this  country,  whence  four  hundred  of  our  young 
men  are  expatriating  themselves  every  year  to  study 
abroad,  that  facilities  for  research  should  be  increased. 
It  is  a  national  shame  that  young  men  cannot  be  given 
such  facilities  here  at  home.  We  ought  to  have  as  good 
teaching  in  every  department  of  science  as  can  be  had 
abroad.  I  believe  that  we  are  to  have  it,  and  that  this 
university  movement  which  has  begun  so  gloriously  is 
only  in  its  beginning.  It  is  dawn;  it  is  not  yet  noon, 
still  less  evening.  Every  one  of  these  movements  that  I 
have  mentioned,  and  Dr.  Hale  has  mentioned,  is,  I  think, 
just  in  its  incipiency.  The  day  of  the  university  stands 
on  tiptoe  peering  over  the  mountain  toj),  and  is  just  com- 
ing to  the  vision  of  young  men  who  will  live  to  see  its 
bright  and  glorious  consummation.  One  of  the  good 
things  which  it  will  bring,  as  I  have  said,  is  a  closer  rela- 
tion between  these  institutions,  which  is  so  aptly  illus- 
trated by  these  celebrations  in  these  days,  and  ])y  this 
16 


242  UNION    COLLEGE. 

particular  celebration  in  which  so  many  institutions  take 
part,  to  which  you  invite  not  only  your  own  graduates, 
but  the  representatives  of  so  many  diiferent  institutions 
as  well  who  have  never  seen  this  town  before.  The  fed- 
eration movement  is  going  on  everywhere,  and  will  finally 
harmonize  the  relations  of  our  various  institutions  of 
learning,  from  the  grammar  school  all  the  way  up  to  the 
university,  for  they  must  be  correlated ;  educators  must 
touch  hands  and  avoid  appropriating  each  other's  terri- 
tory, in  order  that  the  best  results  may  be  gained.  I  re- 
member attending  a  Salvation  Army  meeting  a  great 
many  years  ago,  in  which  the  leader  and  light  of  the  meet- 
ing—  a  large  anniversary  meeting — came  in  and  walked 
down  the  middle  aisle,  a  great,  magnificent  fellow,  saying, 
as  he  walked,  "  Three  hundred  and  twenty-one  pounds," 
— which  was  his  weight, — "three  hundred  and  twenty-one 
pounds,  and  every  pound  for  Jesus."  This  sort  of  testi- 
mony has  its  weight,  and  I  would  not  in  the  least  dis- 
parage the  enthusiasm  which  the  personal  element  may 
arouse — far  from  it.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  day 
has  passed  when  it  can  be  relied  upon  to  maintain  the 
separateness,  and  at  the  same  time  the  success,  of  any  in- 
stitution of  learning.  We  have  had  the  day  when  college 
presidents  by  their  leadership  or  reputation  made  their 
institutions  what  they  were.  Most  of  us  of  my  age  remem- 
ber when  this  was  perhaps  true ;  there  are  some  of  these 
presidents  left  yet,  but  most  all  of  them  say  now,  "It 
is  dollars  and  cents  and  students  for  my  institution." 
Their  reputation  is  at  the  service  of  their  institution, 
three  hundred  and  twenty-one  pounds,  or  one  or  ten 
pounds,  for  their  college.  So  narrow  and  absolute  is 
the  devotion  of  some  presidents  to  dollars  and  students 
for  their  own  glory.  But  the  day  of  narrow  provincialism 
is  doomed,  and  I  think  the  university  movement  is  neces- 
sarily for  cooperative  work.  The  fields  of  science  are  so 
large  that  its  thousand  grades  of  work  cannot  be  worked 


ADDRESS.  243 

unless  we  join  hands.  It  is  a  blessing  to  have  occasionally 
new  institutions  as  well  as  to  have  old  ones ;  because  it  is 
the  S2:)ecial  mission  of  new  institutions  of  learning  to 
make  new  departures.  They  can  try  experiments.  They 
ought  to  be,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  experiment  sta- 
tions, and  the  older  ones  which  follow  later  can  give 
means  that  have  been  tried  there  greater  momentum. 

That  has  been  the  ease.  The  whole  university  move- 
ment, in  my  mind,  can  be  summed  up  in  a  single  sen- 
tence, with  which  I  will  close.  We  live  in  a  day  when 
people  are  talking  a  great  deal  about  the  love  of  nature. 
We  have  no  end  of  nature-books  in  every  book-store. 
There  are  Thoreau,  Jeffries,  Gibson,  Burroughs,  and  all 
the  rest  of  that  galaxy — everywhere  books  on  the  birds, 
the  trees,  and  sky  —  there  seems  to  be  a  movement  that 
has  hardly  been  equaled,  I  think,  in  civilization  anywhere 
for  loving  nature,  and  a  desire  to  get  close  to  her.  It  is  a 
popular  movement  very  largely,  it  is  not  essentially  aca- 
demic in  this  form,  and  we  are  getting  to  understand 
along  with  that  that  nature  is  one.  These  are  times 
when  force,  rather  than  matter,  constitutes  the  world. 
It  is  a  time  when  we  are  coming  to  see  things  with  the 
mind's  eye  rather  than  with  the  body's  eye,  so  that  nature 
is  coming  to  have  really  new  poetic  feeling  —  nature,  and 
man  as  a  part  of  nature.  We  are  recognizing  it  as  the 
source  of  literature,  of  all  the  arts  and  all  the  sciences,  and 
even  religion  to  a  very  great  extent ;  for  man  is  a  part  of 
nature  extended,  its  culmination  and  its  crown,  so  that 
the  student  of  nature,  and  now  even  the  expert,  is  get- 
ting more  and  more  reverence.  He  comes  to  feel  as  that 
strange  new  English  poet  says  about  his  lady-love;  he 
tells  you  she  is  not  very  handsome,  but  he  says  you  can- 
not see  her  countenance  for  her  soul.  That  is  the  way 
the  natui-alist  feels  when  he  studies  man  in  any  of  his 
works  or  his  physical  nature.  When  he  looks  at  nature 
he  no  longer  sees  her  countenance  for  her  soul.    She  is  a 


244  UNION    COLLEGE. 

great  reservoir,  a  great  magazine  of  force;  even  trite 
things  come  to  take  on  a  grand  transcendental  meaning 
as  they  are  transfigured  in  the  countenance  of  nature. 
Science  and  reverence  are  to  be  reinforced  by  this  great 
scientific  movement.  • 

Roger  Bacon,  as  you  know,  used  to  turn  from  his  early 
scientific  study  of  nature  to  compose  hymns,  and  when  he 
made  what  he  thought  was  one  of  his  greatest  discoveries 
in  the  heavens,  he  turned  from  his  telescope  and  wrote, 
"  Gloria  in  Excelsis."  That  is  the  sentiment  which  will 
make  every  religious  conviction  and  every  religious  sen- 
timent deeper  and  stronger,  and  that  is  what  makes  rev- 
erent the  university  in  its  laboratory,  in  its  seminary,  in 
its  special  lines  of  work  to-day,  and  is  to  make  it  infinitely 
more  in  the  great  future  impending  so  near,  and  in  which 
you  young  men  are  to  see  the  veritable  workshop  of  the 
Holy  Ghok. 


ALUMNI  DAY. 


16* 


The  principal  events  of  this  day  were  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  in  the  English  Room,  and  of  the  Sigma  Xi  Society  in  the  Engineering 
Room  at  9  a.m.;  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  the  Philosophy 
Room  and  of  the  General  Alumni  Association  in  the  Chapel  at  10  a.  m.;  the 
Centennial  Banquet  in  Memorial  Hall  at  1:30  P.  M. ;  the  Reunion  of  Classes 
about  the  "Old  Elm"  in  the  College  Garden  at  3:30  p.m.;  a  Reception  by 
President  and  Mrs.  Raymond  at  5  p.  m.  ;  and  a  Commemorative  Service  in 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  8  p.  M. 


TUESDAY,  JUNE   TWENTY-FIFTH. 

CENTENNIAL   BANQUET, 

President  Eaymond  presiding. 

OPENING  ADDRESS   BY  THE   PRESIDENT. 

HONORED  Guests  at  this  board,  Ahimni  of  Union 
College,  Friends  and  Brothers  all :  We  bid  you  wel- 
come to  our  centennial  rejoicings.  While  we  gather  in 
the  name  of  Union  College,  it  is  not  for  her  praise  alone, 
nor  chiefly,  but  for  the  praise  of  that  love  of  learning  and 
devotion  to  high  aims  which  speaks  in  the  history  of 
every  American  college,  and  which  molds  the  destiny  of 
this  Republic.  It  is  not  my  province,  however  much  it 
might  be  my  pleasure,  to  dwell  upon  the  past,  nor  yet  to 
speak  of  the  future,  but  rather  to  open  the  door  and  lead 
the  way  to  the  fellowships  of  the  present  hour.  From 
time  immemorial  the  table  of  feasting  has  been  the  altar 
of  friendship,  and  the  breaking  of  bread  the  pledge  of 
fraternal  union.  We  honor  tradition  to-day,  as  is  seemly 
at  such  an  anniversary,  and  conserve  the  fraternal  spirit 
of  the  world  of  letters  as  we  make  this  the  occasion  for 
the  exchange  of  intercollegiate  courtesies  and  expressions 
of  mutual  esteem.     To-morrow,  in  this  place  and  at  this 


248  UNION    COLLEGE. 

hour,  we  who  are  the  sons  of  Union  will  gather  around 
our  mother  to  tell  her  of  our  gratitude  and  devotion ;  but 
to-day  we  take  our  places  at  her  side  as  hosts,  and  it  be- 
comes my  privilege  to  present,  one  by  one,  the  guests 
who  make  this  occasion  distinguished  by  their  presence. 

When,  more  than  a  century  ago,  while  the  War  of  the 
Revolution  was  still  in  progress,  the  citizens  of  the  Mo- 
hawk and  Upper  Hudson  valleys  petitioned  the  Governor 
and  Legislature  for  a  charter  of  a  college,  they  introduced 
the  question  of  State  control  of  education ;  and  while  the 
petition  for  a  college  was  denied  for  the  time,  the  larger 
question  raised  by  it  received  attention,  and  led  to  the 
establishment  of  a  most  comprehensive  system  of  State 
control  under  the  corporate  title  of  the  Board  of  Regents 
of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  I  will  not 
speak  of  the  functions  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  nor  of 
the  service  which  they  have  rendered  to  the  State  during 
these  years  further  than  to  say  that  the  first  charter 
granted  by  them  was  that  which  in  February,  1795,  cre- 
ated Union  College  in  the  city  of  Schenectady,  New  York. 
[Applause.]  These  circumstances  gave  rise  to  a  most 
singular  relationship ;  for  Union  College  may  be  consid- 
ered as  at  once  the  mother  and  the  daughter  of  the  Board 
of  Regents ;  but  her  maternal  character  has  not  been  rec- 
ognized in  the  State  at  large,  nor,  indeed,  has  she  insisted 
upon  it,  but,  waiving  her  claim  as  progenitor,  has  gloried 
in  the  right,  title,  and  emoluments  of  the  eldest  daughter, 
and  with  true  filial  spirit  she  welcomes  to-day,  first  of  all, 
her  official  mother  in  the  person  of  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  who,  let  me  say,  in  himself  represents  the  spirit 
and  the  aims,  the  scholarship  and  the  culture,  of  higher 
education  in  the  Empire  State. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  introduce  the  Reverend 
Anson  J.  Upson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Chancellor  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  State  of  New  York.     [Applause.] 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  249 

SPEECH   OF   ANSON   JUDD   UPSON, 

ChdiiceUor  of  the   l')iirersltji  of  the  State  of  Xeir   York. 

MR.  President,  G-raduates  of  Union  College,  and  La- 
dies and  Gentlemen  :  Personally,  I  have  no  right  to 
address  this  distinguished  assembly.  Only  my  ofiQcial 
position  could  justify  your  committee  in  giving  me  the 
privilege  of  representing  here  the  Regents  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Yet  I  am  encouraged  by  the  peculiar  relations  of  this 
college  to  our  Board.  Union  College  was  the  first  college 
chartered  by  the  Regents.  You  are  really  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  University.  Columbia  College  is  only  a 
new  edition  of  King's  College.  Its  charter  granted  by 
the  Crown  was  revised  and  corrected  by  us.  Columbia  is 
welcomed  heartily  to  our  family,  yet,  compared  with  you, 
she  is  an  adopted  daughter  only. 

As  a  Board,  the  Regents  are  greatly  indebted  to  Union 
College.  I  remember  that  our  historical  catalogue  of 
Regents  contains  the  names  of  twenty-six  of  your  gradu- 
ates. Three  of  those  have  been  Chancellors  of  the  Uni- 
versity, and  one  a  Vice-Chancellor.  Three  of  your  gradu- 
ates have  been  Secretaries  of  the  University  —  a  most 
important  executive  office.  The  official  terms  of  these 
three  men  covered  forty-eight  years.  One  of  these  Secre- 
taries was  a  man  whom,  even  in  this  presence,  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  name  illustrious  —  Gideon  Hawley,  whose 
memoi"y  is  here,  by  his  Alma  Mater,  deservedly  honored, 
and  who,  as  Regent  and  Secretary,  served  the  State  for 
fifty-six  years.  Gideon  Hawley  was  a  graduate  of  Union 
College  in  the  Class  of  1819. 

And  here  also  let  me  gratefully  acknowledge  the  loj^alty 
of  this  college  to  the  University.  For  a  hundred  years 
you  have  transmitted   to  Albany  most  suggestive  and 


250  UNION    COLLEGE. 

valuable  annual  reports.  In  the  annual  convocation  of 
the  teachers  of  this  State  in  the  Capitol,  you  have  been 
frequently  represented.  The  Presidents  of  Union  have 
honored  us  by  their  dignified  presence.  They  have  bene- 
fited the  teachers  of  the  State  by  giving  them  the  results 
of  their  wide  experience,  and  stimulated  them  by  their 
inspiriting  eloquence.  Your  Professors  have  contributed 
largely  to  the  interest  and  usefulness  of  the  convocation 
by  giving  us  the  results  of  their  scholarship  in  erudite 
and  sometimes  pi'ofound  papers,  and  in  vigorous  and  in- 
fluential discussion.  For  all  this  and  much  more,  permit 
me,  in  the  name  of  the  Regents  of  the  University,  to  ex- 
press our  thanks. 

And  permit  me  to  say  also  that  while  you  have  thus 
courteously  and  loyally  recognized  us,  we  have  not  been 
indifferent  to  you.  At  the  very  beginning,  as  I  learn 
from  the  records  of  our  Board,  in  granting  your  important 
charter,  the  Regents  were  not  neglectful  of  what  they 
thought  were  your  best  interests.  They  were  very  delib- 
erate; thus  subjecting  themselves  to  criticism  in  some 
quarters.  They  were  careful  not  to  degrade  the  college 
by  granting  powers  which  in  their  judgment  the  academy 
was  not  yet  fully  prej^ared  to  exercise. 

And  so  in  1792  they  refused  a  charter  because  sufficient 
funds  had  not  been  provided.  Again,  in  1794,  they  de- 
nied a  similar  application  because,  as  the  Board  expressed 
it,  "  the  state  of  literature  in  the  academy  did  not  appear 
to  be  far  enough  advanced,  nor  the  funds  sufficient." 
Later,  in  1794,  a  circular,  to  use  its  own  words,  invited 
"  a  number  of  gentlemen  of  information  "  so  called,  to 
meet  at  the  house  of  James  McGourk,  innkeeper  in  Al- 
bany. Those  "  gentlemen  of  information "  finally  pe- 
titioned the  Regents  for  the  charter  of  a  college  with  the 
munificent  endowment  of  $25,000,  the  President  to  re- 
ceive annually  $750,  the  Professor  of  Mathematics  $550, 
and  the  Professor  of  Latin  and  Grreek  $500.     This  endow- 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  251 

meut  and  these  salaries  were  large  sums  in  those  days. 
The  city  of  Albany,  your  rival  at  that  time,  offered  $50,- 
000  and  two  acn-os  of  land.  Nevertheless,  after  much  de- 
liberation, the  Regents  granted  your  charter  in  February, 
1795.  No  wonder  that  this  significant  event,  after  so 
long  delay,  was  celebrated  by  "  the  ringing  of  bells,  the 
display  of  flags,  bonfires,  and  a  general  illumination." 
The  i-emarkable  history  of  this  great  college  justifies  the 
popular  enthusiasm  at  its  foundation. 

The  Regents  share  in  the  congratulations  of  this  occa- 
sion. Your  college  has  a  peculiar  history.  You  have 
not  merely  repeated  here  the  collegiate  life  of  other 
similar  institutions.  And  the  Regents,  advanced  in  years 
as  they  have  been  supposed  to  be,  blind  and  deaf,  resting 
their  chins  on  gold-headed  canes,  even  this  "  collection  of 
fossils,"  as  they  used  to  be  named  —  even  these  insensate 
men  have  not  failed  to  observe  your  remarkable  charac- 
teristics. And  on  this  historic  occasion  you  will  permit 
us  to  honor  you  for  them. 

For  example:  at  college  commencements  and  educa- 
tional anniversaries,  the  Regents  had  frequently  and 
patiently  listened  to  long  orations  by  distinguished  men 
on  such  themes  as  "  The  Scholar  in  Politics,"  "  The 
Duties  of  Educated  Men  to  the  State,"  "  The  Relations  of 
Learning  to  Public  Life."  The  Regents  had  heard  these 
elaborate  discourses  so  often,  with  no  practical  result 
appearing,  that  they  began  to  think  and  to  say :  "  This  is 
all  in  vain ;  the  scholar  will  never  get  into  politics.  Men 
cannot  be  educated  to  serve  the  State.  Learning  has  very 
few,  if  any,  relations  to  public  life." 

But  our  venerable  Board  has  lived  long  enough  to  see 
in  your  college  an  example  of  the  contrary.  Under  the 
leadership  of  your  illustrious  fourth  President  for  sixty- 
two  years  —  your  great  President  whose  name  is  on  every 
lip  to-day,  this  college  has  given  to  the  world  a  successful 
example  of  what  can  be  done  in  educating  young  men  for 


252  UNION    COLLEGE. 

public  life.  I  cannot  be  mistaken  when  I  say  that  it  has 
been  a  characteristic  of  this  college  to  be  in  touch  with 
public  life,  to  be  closely  affiliated  with  public  affairs. 
You  have  educated  here  an  unusual  number  of  public 
men  —  men  of  affairs,  statesmen,  politicians  who  have 
not  disgraced  that  once  honored  name,  men  who  could 
influence  and  have  influenced  public  opinion.  You  have 
educated  men  who  sometimes  have  controlled  the  opin- 
ions of  the  whole  country  —  men  for  whose  words,  in 
some  great  crisis,  the  whole  country  has  waited  in  breath- 
less suspense. 

But  the  Regents  have  noticed  also  that,  like  most  bene- 
factors, you  have  not  done  this  beneflcent  work  without 
suffering  for  it.  Those  critics  who  separate  habitually 
learning  from  life  have  said  of  this  college :  "  There  can 
be  no  good  learning  there."  Those  who  try  to  believe 
that  the  theoretical  and  the  practical  cannot  coexist  in 
education  have  denied  the  thoroughness  of  your  scholar- 
ship, assuming  continually  and  asserting  sometimes  that 
a  practical  education  must  be  superficial.  Such  objec- 
tors cannot  have  read  the  published  list  of  your  honored 
instructors  for  a  hundred  years,  as  their  names  illuminate 
your  general  catalogue. 

Who  can  believe  that  Francis  Wayland,  who  by  his 
profound  and  vigorous  thinking  led  for  many  years  the 
largest  Protestant  denomination  on  this  continent  —  who 
can  believe  that  Francis  Wayland,  whose  thoughts  on  for- 
eign missions  are  controlling  the  opinions  on  that  subject 
of  this  country  to-day ;  who  believes  that  this  great  Bap- 
tist thinker,  an  instructor  here  for  ten  years,  encouraged 
superficiality  in  his  teaching  1 

Who  can  believe  that  Alonzo  Potter  was  a  sciolist? 
That  great  Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania 
combined  remarkably  in  his  career  the  theoretical  and  the 
practical.     It  has  been  truly  said  of  him  that  he  had  "  a 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  253 

genius  for  admiuistration."  But  this  genius  for  adminis- 
tration must  have  had  a  solid  foundation  in  exact  and 
varied  knowledge  and  mental  eulture,  else  he  would  not 
have  inspired,  as  he  did,  in  the  public  mind,  such  profound 
respect.  Alonzo  Potter  delivered  five  consecutive  courses 
of  lectures  in  five  successive  years  on  "  The  Evidences  of 
Christianity,"  hefore  the  Lowell  Institute  in  Boston,  to 
audiences  that  filled  to  repletion  the  largest  public  hall  in 
that  city.  Who  can  believe  that  such  a  teacher,  instruct- 
ing classes  here  for  twenty-one  years,  could  have  habitu- 
ally taught  his  students  to  sacrifice  genuine  scholarship 
to  fallacious  pretense  f 

To  charge  your  fifth  President,  Laurens  Perseus  Hickok, 
with  superficial  teaching,  calling  it  practical,  seems  lu- 
dicrous enough  to  those  of  us  who  knew  him  well.  I 
can  see  now  that  great,  simple-hearted  philosopher,  that 
Bunyan's  "  Great  Heart,"  opening  his  eyes  in  wonder  at 
such  an  accusation.  Let  those  who  believe  it  tr}"  to  read 
and  re-read,  until  they  think  they  begin  to  comprehend 
his  philosophical  masterpieces.  Let  them  study  the  "  Ra- 
tional Psychology  "  and  the  "  Empirical  Psychology  "  and 
the  "  Rational  Cosmology,"  and  when  they  give  up  their 
study,  they  will  have  changed  their  minds  about  the  su- 
perficiality of  this  profound  thinker. 

In  oui'  biographical  dictionaries,  the  name  of  the  illus- 
trious Tayler  Lewis  is  followed  by  the  distinctive  title 
"  scholar."  Could  there  be  a  more  appropriate  name  for 
that  prince  in  the  realm  of  classical  and  Biblical  learning  I 
For  twenty-eight  years  Tayler  Lewis  was  a  teacher  here, 
and  really  for  fifty-seven  years  he  was  identified  with  the 
life  of  this  college.  I  dare  not  trust  myself  to  express  a 
tithe  of  the  respect  and  reverence  that  I  profoundly  feel 
as  I  pronounce  his  venerated  name.  Would  that  the 
thoughts  of  this  modern  Plato  could  forever  pervade  and 
control  our  Republic ! 


254  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Oh,  for  an  hour  of  Wayland  and  Potter  and  Hickok 
and  Lewis  now !  Who  of  us  would  not  sit  at  their  feet 
to  be  taught  as  they  woukl  teach  us  f 

And  these  four  are  not  the  only  real  scholars  who  have 
given  their  life  and  learning  to  this  venerable  college. 
Yates  and  Macauley  and  Brownell  and  Joslin  and  Jack- 
son and  Averill  and  Savage  and  Gillespie  and  Pearson 
are  names  among  your  honored  dead  that  represent  gen- 
uine scholarship  surely.  And  though  John  Foster  be 
still  living  with  us,  we  will  place  his  name  upon  this  roll 
of  honor  now :  serus  in  coelmn  redeas  ! 

The  more  you  study,  without  prejudice,  the  history  of 
this  great  college,  the  more  thoroughly  will  you  be  con- 
vinced that  the  theoretical  and  the  practical  have  not 
been  here  divorced.  I  am  proud  to  number  among  my 
own  kindred  a  graduate  of  this  college  who  could  repeat 
page  after  page  of  the  "  Iliad  "  of  Homer,  in  the  original 
Grreek,  as  he  learned  it  in  his  boyhood  here.  I  am  half 
ashamed  to  have  seemed  to  give  importance  to  such 
groundless  prejudices  by  so  elaborate  a  refutation. 

Mr.  President,  what  I  have  already  said  may  be  applied 
to  another  characteristic  of  your  collegiate  history,  which 
the  Regents  have  noticed  with  increasing  favor.  Presi- 
dent Nott  believed,  and  his  belief  has  been  shared  by  his 
colleagues  and  successors,  that  no  matter  how  far  a  young 
man  may  have  wandered  away,  you  should  never  preach 
to  him  a  gospel  of  despair.  Tell  him  rather  that  in  his 
young  life  his  bad  habits  cannot  have  become  so  fixed 
that  Grod  cannot  and  will  not  give  him  strength  to  con- 
quer them.  Under  the  influence  of  this  encouraging  doc- 
trine. Union  College  became  a  city  of  refuge  to  many  a 
young  man  for  his  reformation  and  restoration.  The 
Regents  are  not  alone  in  honoring  you  for  the  principle 
here  announced  and  for  the  practice  that  has  followed  it. 

Objections  can  be  made  to  this  method  of  collegiate 
management.     We  may  be  told  "  it  violates  collegiate 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  255 

comity  to  receive  those  rejected  l)y  other  colleges."  We 
may  be  told  that  "  the  few  bad  received  may  corrupt  the 
good  already  here."  Yet,  iiotwitlistaiiding  these  objec- 
tions, it  may  be  deliberately  affirmed  as  the  verdict  of  a 
hundred  years  that,  on  the  whole,  yours  has  been  the 
better  way.  For  young  men  in  danger  of  making  a  men- 
tal and  moral  failure  in  life,  a  college  should  be  no  prison 
for  punishment.  It  should  be  a  reformatory,  not  a  peni- 
tentiary. To  many  it  is,  as  it  should  be,  a  mental  and  a 
moral  hospital. 

When  this  new  method  of  collegiate  management  was 
introduced,  it  was  disapproved  by  many  educational  au- 
thorities and  by  some  denounced.  This  is  not  surprising. 
Those  were  days  of  extreme  formality  and  reserve  be- 
tween teachers  and  scholars.  In  those  days  the  under- 
graduate, as  he  walked  the  street  or  on  the  college  cam- 
pus, was  directed  to  uplift  his  hat  at  a  prescribed  distance 
on  the  approach  of  any  college  officer  —  twenty  rods  be- 
fore meeting  the  President;  ten  rods  from  a  Professor; 
five  rods  from  a  Tutor.  Formality  was  the  rule,  friend- 
liness was  an  exception.  Not  so  now.  The  example  and 
influence  of  this  college  have  largely  contributed  to  this 
beneficent  result. 

And  the  history  of  this  college  is  very  useful  as  an  en- 
couraging example  in  one  other  important  particular.  If 
I  am  not  mistaken,  you  have  received  from  the  State  of 
New  York  more  money  than  has  been  received  from  this 
State  by  any  one  of  our  educational  institutions.  The 
larger  gifts  to  Cornell  University  came  indirectly  from  the 
United  States  Grovernment.  They  cost  our  people  noth- 
ing. But  you  have  been  the  principal  educational  ben- 
eficiary of  the  State  of  New  York.  AVhere  is  the  citizen 
who  knows  anything  of  the  histoiy  of  this  State,  and  of 
our  eminent  men,  who  will  not  wish  that  those  gifts  to 
you  had  been  far  more  abundant  and  valuable  ?  When  I 
remember  the  great  multitude  of  public  men,  a  President 


256  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  the  United  States,  governors  and  senators  and  judges 
and  law-makers,  and  the  greater  number  of  clergymen 
and  physicians  and  teachers  and  lawyers  and  scientists 
and  successful  and  influential  business  men,  who  have  re- 
ceived their  education  here,  I  am  ready  to  affii-m  that 
this  college  has  returned  to  the  State  more  than  fourfold 
for  every  gift  received  directly  or  indirectly  from  its 
treasury.  Why,  the  public  services  of  your  illustrious 
graduate,  William  Henry  Seward,  alone  have  abundantly 
compensated  this  Commonwealth  for  all  it  has  given 
to  you. 

These  appropriations  to  Union  College  and  their  be- 
neficent use  are  an  example  of  what  our  State  should  do 
for  all  its  colleges.  To  all  here  to-day  who  represent  the 
various  colleges  of  this  State,  your  example  in  this  respect 
is  encouraging  and  ought  to  be  controlling  in  educational 
legislation.  We  are  grateful  for  munificent  private  bene- 
factions, but  what  a  shame  it  is  that  more  is  not  now 
appropriated  to  higher  education  by  our  State !  Each 
New  York  taxpayer  pays  less  than  one  cent  a  year  for 
higher  education.  In  the  Northwestern  States  —  "the 
Wild  West" — public  sentiment  is  overwhelmingly  "in 
favor  of  placing  the  higher  education  within  the  reach  of 
every  child  of  the  State."  The  example  of  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin  is  well  known.  "  The  University  of  Minnesota 
receives  from  the  State  annually  $200,000,  or  the  equiva- 
lent of  the  income  from  an  endowment  of  $4,000,000." 
Why  should  not  every  New  York  boy  or  girl,  desiring  a 
thorough  education,  receive  it  f  Shall  those  only  who  are 
satisfied  with  an  elementary  education  receive  that  at  the 
hands  of  the  State,  and  the  more  nobly  ambitious  poor 
boys  and  girls  be  denied  the  higher  opportunity  I  Let  us 
widen  the  equality  of  our  educational  advantages  until 
in  the  freedom  of  their  education  our  colleges  shall  sur- 
pass what  has  been  "  the  glory  of  the  democratic  colleges 
of  New  England." 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  257 

Please  accept,  Mr.  Presideut,  my  thanks  for  your  coiii-- 
teoiis  patience  in  listening  to  my  words.  And  permit  mo 
to  renew  to  yourself  and  to  your  honored  colleagues 
and  to  the  authorities  and  benefactors  of  Union  College 
the  cordial  congratulations  of  the  Regents,  with  expres- 
sions of  our  very  sincere  good-will. 

A  resolution  recently  adopted  by  the  Board  intrusts  to 
me  the  grateful  "duty  of  congratulating  the  college  upon 
the  acceptance  of  the  presidency  by  the  Reverend  Doctor 
Raymond,  and  of  expressing  their  cordial  wishes  for  the 
continued  prosperity  of  their  oldest  chartered  institution." 


^ 


President  Raymond  said :  I  trust  that  we  have  all  bowed  with  becoming 
humility  as  we  have  received  this  blessing  of  our  mother. 

In  the  history  of  American  colleges,  one  name  stands  prominent  —  may  I 
not  say  preeminent?  Presideut  Eliot  is  authority  for  the  suggestion  that 
the  proper  introduction  for  Harvard  College  is  a  reference  to  her  age ;  that, 
he  says,  is  a  solid  fact  of  superiority  which  none  will  gainsay,  while  in  other 
respects  there  may  be  those  who  will  question  her  leadership.  His  modesty 
is  becoming ;  but  we  are  inclined  to  resent  the  imputation  that  any  one 
would  withhold  from  Harvard  College  any  of  the  glory  which  is  her  due. 
Fifty  years  ago,  at  our  semi-centennial  celebration,  one  of  our  graduates,  in 
a  burst  of  enthusiasm,  said  that,  in  fifty  years.  Union  College  had  graduated 
nearly  half  as  many  students  as  Harvard  College  in  her  then  more  than  two 
hundred  years  of  life.  That  was  an  unfortunate  suggestion  ;  for  the  repre- 
sentative of  Harvard  'College  went  back  to  Cambridge  evidently  jealous  for 
her  glory  and  marshalled  all  her  forces  to  put  such  a  distance  between  Har- 
vard and  Union  as  should  forever  silence  our  boasting;  and  he  succeeded. 
[Laughter  and  applaiise.]  To-day  we  are  humble.  As  we  make  no  compari- 
son of  years  so  we  make  no  other  comparisons,  but  recognize  the  honor  which 
has  been  done  us  by  the  President  of  Harvard  College  in  designating  a  mem- 
ber of  her  faculty  to  bring  to  Union  the  greetings  of  her  oldest  sister :  and  it 
gives  me  great  pleasure  to  present  to  you  Professor  George  Herbert  Palmer, 
of  Harvard  University.     [Applause.] 

17 


258  UNION  COLLEGE. 

SPEECH  OF  OEORGE  HERBERT  PALMER, 

Professor  in  Harvard  University. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Graduates  of  Unioi],  and  Ladies 
and  Grentlemen :  Brief  as  my  duty  is,  it  is  a  most 
agreeable  one.  I  am  charged  witli  bringing  you  the 
hearty  congratulations  of  Harvard  University, —  congrat- 
ulations which  rest  on  the  grounds  of  kinship  and  of 
honor. 

Of  kinship,  because  you  and  we  have  been  associated 
for  a  century  in  carrying  on  the  great  campaign  against 
human  ignorance.  Side  by  side  we  have  stood,  doing  our 
work  in  our  independent  ways,  and  yet  from  the  begin- 
ning, gentlemen,  those  ways  have  been  highly  similar. 
Our  fathers  went  forth  into  the  wilderness.  When  there, 
they  saw  that  civilization  could  not  be,  unless  men  were 
trained  through  learning  for  places  in  the  State  and  in  the 
Church.  Your  ancestors  and  mine  alike  thought  of  the 
college  as  the  natural  leader  of  the  people;  and  they 
shaped  their  policies  with  that  in  view. 

I  may  mention  another  point  of  kinship.  You  have 
persistently  stood  for  freedom  in  religion.  You  have 
been  an  unsectarian  college.  You  have  built  up  a 
strongly  religious  institution,  while  insisting  that  the  re- 
ligious life  of  each  man  should  be  free  to  expand  along 
its  own  lines.  We  have  tried  the  same  experiment,  and 
with  a  similar  result ;  for  I  found  last  year  that  Harvard 
sends  into  the  Christian  ministry  more  students  than  any 
other  college  in  the  country,  with  the  single  exception  of 
Princeton.  I  believe,  gentlemen,  that  the  principle  ac- 
cepted by  us  both  is  the  sound  one.  So  deep  in  the  na- 
ture of  man  is  the  religious  impulse  that  all  it  needs  is 
opportunity  and  training  to  come  forth  with  beneficent 
power. 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  259 

I  am  sent  to  you,  however,  to  bring  coiigi-atulations 
not  merely  on  grounds  of  kinship,  but  on  the  ground  of 
honor  too.  Wo  are  thankful  for  your  career.  Often  it  is 
said  that  the  number  of  colleges  in  this  country  is  too 
large.  I  cannot  think  so.  There  is  work  enough  for  all 
to  do,  for  the  small  college  and  for  the  large.  Each  has 
its  special  office  in  spreading  the  college  idea  far  and 
wide.  Jealousies  here  are  out  of  place.  The  success  of 
one  is  a  success  for  all.  And  certainly  in  the  difficult 
task  of  inclining  our  people  to  prize  a  serious  discipline, 
Union  has  done  a  work  in  which  every  other  college  must 
rejoice.  The  multitude  of  her  graduates  who  have  risen 
to  positions  of  eminence  has  commended  college  educa- 
tion to  the  country  at  large. 

But,  Mr.  President,  I  cannot  sit  down  without  expres- 
sing a  deep  personal  obligation  to  Union.  Twenty-five 
years  ago  one  of  your  graduates  was  teaching  school  (as 
is  the  habit  of  Union  graduates)  in  a  small  town  of  cen- 
tral New  York.  Looking  over  his  pujiils,  he  noticed 
among  them  a  young  girl  who,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  de- 
served a  college  training.  He  told  her  so.  He  told  her 
father  so ;  and  with  some  difficulty  the  girl's  parents  were 
persuaded  to  send  her  to  Michigan  University.  She  sub- 
sequently became  President  of  Wellesley  College, —  and 
my  wife.  [Applause.]  I  had  always  known,  gentlemen, 
that  in  Union  is  strength.  I  have  ever  since  been  doubly 
persuaded  of  it.     [Prolonged  applause.] 


$ 


President  Raymond  then  said :  While  the  Board  of  Regents  may  be 
regarded  as  the  mother  of  Union  College,  Princeton  was  undoubtedly  the 
nurse  of  her  infant  years  ;  for  her  first  President,  the  Rev.  John  Blair  Smith, 
was  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College  ;  and  fearing  evidently  for  the  life  of  the 
child,  he  resigned  after  four  years  of  service,  and  was  succeeded  by  another 


260  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Princeton  man,  Jonathan  Edwards  the  younger.  This  in  itself  is  enough  to 
establish  a  close  relationship  between  Union  and  Princeton.  The  debt  under 
which  we  were  thus  placed  has  been  recognized  by  iis  ;  and  we  have  all  rather 
prided  ourselves  upon  paying  that  debt  by  giving  back  to  Princeton  one  of 
her  most  illustrious  Presidents,  John  Maclean.  But  President  Patton  in- 
forms me  that  we  are  mistaken  in  regarding  President  Maclean  as  a  grad- 
uate of  Union,  as  he  was  certainly  a  gi'aduate  of  Princeton.  To  tell  the 
truth  and  the  whole  truth,  I  believe  he  was  an  alumnus  of  both  colleges.  Hav- 
ing graduated  from  Princeton,  he  must  have  recognized  the  superior  value  of 
a  degree  from  Union,  and  so  have  come  here  for  that  degree.  Certainly  we 
can  say  this  now  with  safety,  inasmuch  as  President  Patton,  who  expected  to 
be  here,  is  not  with  us  to-day  to  refute  it. 

Union  College  has  always  prided  herself  on  being  the  first  college  in  this 
country  to  be  established  by  charter  upon  an  undenominational  basis.  While 
never  losing  her  religious  character,  she  has  been  consistently  non-sectarian. 
Her  first  two  Presidents  were  Presbyterians,  as  we  have  seen ;  her  third  Pres- 
ident, the  Rev.  Jonathan  Maxcy,  was  a  graduate  of  Brown  University  and  a 
Baptist.  This  only  marks  the  beginning  of  our  debt  to  Brown  University. 
How  that  debt  was  increased  all  will  know  when  I  say  that  our  next  Pres- 
ident was  also  a  son  of  Brown,  although  not  a  Baptist,  and  was  none  other 
than  Rev.  Eliphalet  Nott.  That  name  stands  for  the  greatest  glory  of  the 
past,  and  establishes  the  close  connection  between  Union  and  Brown  Univer- 
sity. I  have  spoken  of  our  debt,  but  it  does  not  burden  us  as  it  would  had  we 
not  given  to  Brown  the  man  whose  name  may  rank  even  with  that  of  Dr. 
Nott  among  the  great  presidents  of  American  colleges,  Francis  Wayland. 
President  Andrews  hoped  to  be  with  us  to-day,  but  because  of  other  engage- 
ments he  felt  that  he  must  confine  his  greetings  to  the  words  which  were 
spoken  yesterday  at  the  Educational  Conference  in  the  College  Chapel.  And 
surely  all  who  heard  those  words  will  recognize  the  tribute  that  has  been 
paid  to  Union  College  by  the  presence  here  and  the  address  of  the  distin- 
guished successor  of  President  Wayland. 

But  what  of  Yale  ?  It  is  not  her  fortune  to  wait  long  in  any  roll-call  of 
American  colleges  for  the  sound  of  her  name.  She  is  so  accustomed  to  see- 
ing her  blue  at  the  front  that  it  must  always  be  a  surprise  to  find  it  anywhere 
else;  and,  to  speak  frankly,  if  I  had  been  guided  by  purely  personal  feelings 
in  arranging  this  program,  I  should  have  seen  that  the  name  of  Yale  led  all 
the  rest.  For  am  not  I  a  graduate  of  Yale  by  inheritance?  Did  I  not  walk 
her  campus  and  sit  upon  her  fence  and  receive  her  diploma  in  the  loins  of  my 
father?  [Laughter.]  Is  not  one  of  my  most  cherished  treasures  a  prize 
which  we  thus  took  together  when  he  gi-aduated  in  182.5  ?  But  environment 
modifies  heredity,  and  I  am  now  a  Union  man  and  allied  to  Union's  interests. 
[Applause.]  But  even  Union's  interests  cannot  long  disregard  the  claims  of 
Yale.  We  may  not  have  given  any  President  to  Yale.  Yale  may  not  have 
given  any  President  to  us ;  but  the  whole  college  world  is  indebted  to  Yale 
University.  Her  democratic  spirit ;  her  honest  Americanism  ;  her  straight- 
forward devotion  to  her  own  traditions  and  her  own  aims  have  been  an  in- 
spiring influence  in  all  the  college  world.      We  are  glad  to  recognize  our  ob- 


CENTENNIAL    BANQUET.  261 

ligation  to  Yale  and  are  j^lad  to  i'0('o<^nizt'  tlic  lioiior  wliioli  Yalo  has  doiio  ns 
by  sending  as  Iut  roprosontativc  the  Dean  of  lier  coUege  fiieulty,  Prof.  Henry 
Parks  Wright,  whom  I  now  have  the  pleasnre  of  presenting. 


SPEECH   OF   HENRY  PARKS  WRIGHT, 

I)e((n  of  Yale  College  Faculty. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  and  Alumni  of  Union  College :  I 
very  much  regret  that  President  Dwight  is  not  able 
to  be  here  to-day ;  but  the  fact  that  this  is  commencement 
week  in  New  Haven  also  sufficiently  explains  his  absence. 

I  have  been  requested  by  the  President  and  Faculty  of 
Yale  University  to  represent  them  at  this  centennial  cele- 
bration, and  to  express  to  you,  sir,  and  to  those  asso- 
ciated with  you  in  the  management  and  government  of 
this  institution,  our  fraternal  greeting.  Union  College 
had  a  worthy  beginning.  Its  name  preserves  the  creed 
of  its  founders  who,  a  century  ago,  avowed  those  prin- 
ciples of  liberality  and  unity  to  which  to-day  all  colleges 
subscribe.  It  has  had  a  worthy  history.  Of  the  twenty- 
one  American  colleges  founded  before  the  year  1795,  few, 
if  any,  were  able  to  present  at  their  one  hundredth  an- 
niversary such  a  list  of  distinguished  graduates  as  you 
can  now  show.  Yale  congratulates  you,  sir,  on  the  rec- 
ords of  the  past  and  on  your  present  prosperity.  As 
you  say,  Yale  has  not  contributed  largely  to  your  fac- 
ulty; but  we  do  not  forget  that  the  distinguished  man 
who,  for  more  than  sixty  years,  presided  over  this  insti- 
tution, though  a  graduate  of  Brown,  came,  as  you  did, 
from  good  Yale  stock,  and  was  brought  up  under  Yale 
influences.     [Applause.] 

One  hundred  years  is  a  long  period.  We  speak  of  a 
century  without  stopping  to  think  how  much  the  word 
means,  or  what  a  large  fraction  of  all  historic  time  a  cen- 
tury is.  If  we  go  back  to  the  founding  of  this  college, 
11* 


262  UNION    COLLEGE. 

we  fiud  ourselves  in  the  administration  of  Washington 
and  in  the  early  years  of  the  American  Republic.  The 
period  covered  by  the  history  of  this  institution  is  about 
one  twenty-fifth  of  the  time  since  the  founding  of  Rome. 
Sixty  such  periods  would  take  us  back  to  that  date  given 
in  Hebrew  chronology  for  the  creation  of  Adam.  The 
administration  of  President  Nott  alone  included  about 
one  thirtieth  of  the  entire  Christian  era  down  to  the 
present  day.  A  college  that  can  celebrate  its  one  hun- 
dredth anniversary  is,  as  man  counts  time,  very  old. 

Now  here  is  something  that  is  remarkable  in  regard  to 
age, —  namely,  that  you  can  grow  old  and  at  the  same 
time  be  gaining  new  life  and  new  vigor.  The  life  of  an 
individual  soon  reaches  its  natural  limit.  When  a  man 
finds  that  he  has  a  work  to  do,  he  soon  comes  to  realize 
that  the  great  thing  lacking  is  time.  He  could  accomplish 
his  work  if  life  were  only  long  enough.  Every  year  added 
to  the  past  with  him  takes  away  a  year  from  the  future. 
But  there  is  no  such  natural  limit  to  the  age  of  an  insti- 
tution of  learning ;  it  never  becomes  so  old  that  it  may 
not  patiently  plan  for  centuries  to  come.  In  fact,  the 
longer  the  past  has  been,  the  longer  the  future  is  likely 
to  be.  Our  American  universities  have  survived  revolu- 
tion, war,  change  in  government.  With  the  exception  of 
the  Christian  religion,  there  is  nothing  which  seems  to  be 
more  firmly  established  than  our  institutions  of  learning. 
Age,  too,  generally  brings  with  it  the  characteristics  of 
age.  We  unfortunately  cannot  grow  old  and  still  keep 
our  youth.  But  to  an  institution  of  learning  increasing 
years  bring  increasing  strength.  As  it  grows  old  it  may 
not  only  keep  young,  but  it  may  even  grow  young.  The 
college  has  access  to  the  fountain  of  perpetual  youth. 
All  our  American  colleges  that  have  passed  their  one 
hundredth  anniversary  are  really  younger  to-day  than 
they  were  fifty  years  ago, —  younger  in  their  life  and 
spirit.     They  no  longer  cling  obstinately  to  old  theories 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  263 

simply  because  tliey  have  loug  beeu  held.  They  are 
ready  to  investigate  and  ready  to  accept  the  best.  Their 
spii'it  is  progressive. 

As  Union  College  enters  upon  its  second  centui-y  our 
wish  is  that  its  history  may  cover  many  centuries ;  and 
that  the  record  of  each  may  be  as  creditable,  as  gratifying 
to  its  officers,  to  its  alumni,  and  to  its  friends  as  the 
record  of  the  one  now  closed,  and  that  with  its  increasing 
years  it  may  combine  that  wisdom  which  is  the  charac- 
teristic of  age  with  the  energy  and  the  enthusiasm  and 
the  progressive  spirit  of  youth.     [Applause.] 


President  Eaymond  said :  Our  nearest  neighbor  among  the  older  colleges 
and  our  closest  friend,  I  thiuk,  among  all  the  colleges,  is  Williams.  [Ap- 
plause.] We  are  almost  twins.  For  the  echoes  of  her  centennial  celebration 
have  not  yet  died  away.  For  one  hundred  years  we  have  shared  experiences 
and  divided  honors.  When  her  Garfield  fell  our  Arthur  took  his  place  and 
continued  his  policy.  [Applause.]  Nowhere  is  Williams's  splendid  past  more 
honored  than  at  Union,  and  nowhere  is  her  present  prosperity  the  subject  of 
more  sincere  congratulations. 

President  Carter  had  hoped  and  expected  to  be  with  us  some  time  during 
this  centennial  celebration ;  but  finding  at  last  that  he  would  be  obliged  to 
be  at  Williamstown  during  the  whole  of  the  week,  or  the  first  part  of  the 
week,  at  least,  he  appointed  a  professor  to  represent  Williams  College,  who 
is  most  cordially  gi-eeted  this  afternoon,  not  only  for  the  sake  of  Williams, 
biit  also  for  his  own  sake, ,  And  as  we  now  welcome  Professor  John  Haskell 
Hewitt,  I  may  be  permitted  to  express  the  hope  and  desire  of  all  Union  men, 
that  this  occasion  may  be  the  pledge  and  the  beginning  of  even  closer  fellow- 
ship through  the  new  century  upon  which  we  have  both  entered. 


SPEECH   OF   JOHN   HASKELL   HEWITT, 

Professor  in  Williams  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Alumni,  Students,  and  Friends  of 
Union  College:  Williams  College  having  recently 
celebrated  her  centennial  anniversary, — as  your  President 


264  UNION    COLLEGE. 

has  just  intimated, — sends  to  Union,  as  to  a  slightly 
younger  sister,  her  most  cordial  greetings  on  this  auspi- 
cious occasion. 

There  are  many  things  connected  with  the  origins  and 
histories  of  these  two  colleges  which,  it  seems  to  me, 
should  tend  to  make  strong  the  bond  of  sisterhood  to 
which  I  refer.  Both  of  them  being  among  the  first  fruits 
of  the  peace  that  followed  the  war  for  independence,  they 
might  not  inaptly  be  termed  "  Daughters  of  the  Revolu- 
tion." Both  of  them  being  situated  near  the  line  of  what 
used  to  be  known  as  the  "  Old  Mohawk  Trail "  connect 
themselves  in  their  history  closely  with  those  stirring 
events  and  those  heroic  deeds  by  which  the  northern  sec- 
tion of  New  York  and  New  England  was  made  forever  se- 
cure to  civil  and  religious  liberty.  The  origins  of  the  two 
colleges  were  not  unlike.  It  was  in  your  neighboring  city 
of  Albany  that  our  founder,  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams, 
when  on  his  march  to  that  battle  in  which  he  fell  near 
Lake  George,  made  his  last  will  bequeathing  his  little 
estate  to  establish  a  "  Free  School "  in  Williamstown  for 
the  education  of  the  children  of  his  soldiers.  Out  of  that 
free  school  came  Williams  College,  as,  I  understand,  out 
of  an  academy  came  Union  College.  As  has  been  already 
intimated,  the  times  of  the  birth  of  these  two  institutions 
were  so  nearly  the  same  that  we  might  properly  call  them 
twins,  and  give  to  them  the  classical  designation  which 
the  fond  couple  over  in  the  Hoosac  Mountains  gave  to 
the  twins  that  visited  their  happy  home  some  time  since, 
calling  one  of  them  "  Simul "  and  the  other  "  Taneous." 
[Laughter.]  My  first  knowledge  of  these  two  colleges 
came  to  me  when  a  lad  over  in  Connecticut  through  the 
very  enviable  reputation  that  each  was  presided  over  by 
an  ideal  college  president.  President  Nott  at  Union  and 
President  Hopkins  at  Williams,  who  left  lasting  impres- 
sions on  these  two  institutions,  were  men  of  the  highest 
and  noblest  conceptions  of  education,  men  who  placed 


CENTENNIAL    BANQUET.  265 

culture  above  knowledge  and  character  above  culture. 
They  were  men,  too,  of  the  broadest  and  most  generous 
synii^athy  in  religious  matters,  exemplifying  in  their  lives 
and  their  teachings  that  liberal  spirit  which  is  expressed 
in  the  motto  on  Union's  seal.  And,  sir,  it  is  one  of  the 
happy  auspices  of  this  auspicious  occasion  that  Union 
College  enters  upon  her  second  century  with  the  ideal 
college  President  still  at  the  helm.     [Applause.] 

There  is  also  a  personal  matter,  if  I  may  refer  to  it 
briefly  here,  which  has  ever  led  me  to  look  with  rever- 
ence toward  Union  College.  When,  more  than  a  gener- 
ation ago,  as  an  undergraduate  at  Yale,  I  was  initiated 
into  a  fraternity  where  I  formed  those  strong  friendships 
which  have  remained  faithful  up  to  this  present  time,  I 
was  taught  to  look  upon  Union  as  a  sort  of  alma  mater, 
being  instructed  that  here,  in  1833,  was  founded  the 
mother  chapter  of  our  fraternity. 

There  are  many  peculiarities  of  which  Williams  might 
boast,  but  you  would  probably  match  them  at  every 
point.  If  I  should  speak  of  the  Berkshire  hills  which 
form  the  beautiful  setting  of  our  town  and  om-  college, 
you  would,  with  pardonable  pride,  point  me  to  the  more 
than  idyllic  beauty  of  the  scenerv  of  the  Mohawk  Valley. 
If  I  should  make  the  statement  that  we  have  the  longest 
railway  tunnel  in  America,  you  would,  of  course,  remind 
me  that  you  are  located  on  "  The  great  four-track  Trunk 
Line  of  the  United  States."  If  I  should  suggest  that  we, 
being  situated  just  beyond  the  border,  are  the  Yankee 
College,  and  remind  you  that,  according  to  Dr.  Skeat,  of 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  the  word  "  Yankee  "  comes 
from  a  Norwegian  word  which  signifies  "  quick-moving," 
"  active,"  "  spry,"  and  suggest  to  you  that  therefore  we 
would  be  likely  to  excel  in  that  important  branch  of  mod- 
ern education,  athletics,  and  that  so  the  Yankees  is  fitted 
to  carry  the  arts  of  civilization  across  the  continent,  you 
would  probably  remind  me  that  recently  canals  have  been 


266  UNION    COLLEGE. 

discovered  in  the  planet  Mars,  and  that  undoubtedly  the 
Dutchman  is  ahead  of  the  Yankee  there.  And  when  I 
look  over  the  long  list  of  illustrious  names  in  your  gen- 
eral catalogue  and  see  the  decided  preference  you  have 
for  one  of  the  last  letters  of  the  alphabet,  I  am  persuaded 
that  hitherto  you  have  always  kept  in  the  "Van." 

I  was  greatly  interested  recently  in  perusing  portions 
of  one  of  the  early  documents  of  our  college.  It  was,  in 
fact,  the  petition  of  the  trustees  of  the  free  school  to 
which  I  have  referred,  addressed  to  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts,  praying  that  an  act  be  passed,  incorporat- 
ing the  free  school  into  a  college,  the  said  petition  setting 
forth  that  "  the  town  of  Williamstown  is  bordering  upon 
the  most  fertile  parts  of  the  States  of  New  York  and  Ver- 
mont. If,  therefore,  a  college  was  instituted  in  that  town, 
such  is  its  local  position  that  great  numbers  of  youths 
would  probably  resort  there  from  the  neighboring  States, 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  liberal  education.  This 
would  furnish  an  opportunity  of  diffusing  our  best  hab- 
its and  manners  among  the  citizens  of  our  sister  States." 
Thus  early,  sir,  in  her  history,  you  see  cropping  out  that 
missionary  spirit  which  has  always  characterized  Will- 
iams College. 

I  fear  I  have  dwelt  too  long  upon  the  past  and  that  you 
may  be  reminding  me  of  that  old  story  of  the  country- 
man who  was  passing  by  a  country  inn  about  noon-time 
and  stopped  for  his  mid-day  meal.  The  waitress  asked 
him  if  he  would  have  some  ox-tail  soup.  Having  never 
heard  of  that  delicacy,  the  countryman  was  a  little  dazed 
at  first,  but  after  some  moments  of  meditation  asked, 
"  Is  n't  that  going  a  good  ways  back  for  soup  ?  "  [Long 
laughter.]  The  lesson  of  the  hour,  sir,  and  of  this  occa- 
sion is  not  so  much  retrospect  as  it  is  thankfulness  and 
hopefulness.  In  America,  as  my  friend,  Professor  Wright, 
has  already  intimated,  it  still  is  a  rare  thing  for  a  college 
to  attain  to  the  venerable  distinction  of  being  a  centeu- 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  267 

arian.  While  Oxford  can  boast  of  lier  eiglit  Imiidred 
years,  Heidelberg  of  five  hundred  years,  and  Edinburgh 
of  three  hundred,  our  mother  university  has  but  recently 
celebrated  her  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary;  and 
of  our  nearly  four  hundred  collegiate  institutions,  only 
about  a  dozen  have  attained  to  the  age  of  a  century  or 
more.  But,  sir,  the  wealth  which  a  college  like  Union 
has,  on  its  centennial,  in  its  alumni  and  in  its  precious 
traditions,  is  incalculable.  It  is  in  the  college  as  it  is  in 
the  family,  —  "children  are  an  heritage  of  the  Lord.  .  .  . 
They  shall  not  be  ashamed,  but  they  shall  speak  with  the 
enemies  in  the  gate."  It  is  related  that  the  famous  Dr. 
Busby,  who  presided  with  such  distinction  for  so  many 
years  in  the  seventeenth  century  over  Westminster  School, 
was  once  approached  by  a  would-be  patron  with  the  ques- 
tion, "  What  are  your  references  f "  "  References ! "  said 
the  old  doctor,  bringing  to  bear  on  the  would-be  patron 
that  magnificent  brow  with  a  mingled  expression  of  pity 
and  contempt,  "  References !  Go  to  the  Houses  of  Par- 
liament, to  the  House  of  Bishops,  to  the  Faculties  of 
the  Universities,  to  the  leading  positions  throughout  the 
United  Kingdom,  there  you  will  find  my  references."  And 
so,  as  Chancellor  Upson  has  so  eloquently  indicated.  Union 
may  bid  men  go  to  the  prominent  places  on  the  bench, 
at  the  bar,  in  the  pulpit,  in  business,  in  scholarship,  in 
literature,  in  statesmanship,  and  there  find  her  refer- 
ences. To-day  she  may  point  to  her  children  with  a  far 
fonder  pride  than  did  the  mother  of  the  Gracchi  to  her 
sons  and  call  them  her  "jewels."  Fittingly,  in  reviewing 
the  work  of  a  hundred  years,  could  we  use  of  her  the 
words  of  the  grand  inscription  placed  in  golden  letters 
over  the  choir  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  London,  in  mem- 
ory of  its  distinguished  architect,  Sir  Christopher  Wren, — 
the  grand  pile  itself  being  his  solemn  and  fitting  mauso- 
leum—  si  mouumeutum  reqmris,  cireiuu spice. 

Mr.  President,  the  past  of  Union  College  is  secure ;  to 


268  UNION    COLLEGE. 

adapt  a  line  from  an  English  sonnet,  May  yonr  future 
copy  fair  the  glories  of  your  past.  Now,  in  closing,  I 
wish  to  express  my  personal  gratitude  for  the  courtesies 
you  have  extended  to  me  on  this  occasion,  and  again  to 
give  you  the  glad  salutations  of  Williams  College  and  her 
best  wishes  and  heartiest  Grodspeed  for  the  new  century 
on  which  you  enter.     [Long  applause.] 


President  Raymond  said :  Professor  Riehardsou,  who  is  to  represent 
Dartmouth  College,  is,  I  understand,  on  his  way,  and  will  be  here  for  to- 
morrow's gathering  in  this  place,  if  he  does  not  arrive  before  the  conclusion 
of  our  proceedings  this  afternoon.  [His  speech,  delivered  at  the  banquet  the 
day  following,  is  here  inserted.] 


SPEECH   OF   CHARLES   F.  RICHARDSON, 

Professor  in  Bartmouih  College. 

MK.  PRESIDENT,  Gentlemen,  and  Brothers:  I 
thank  you  very  heartily  for  the  opportunity  given 
me  to  say  a  few  words  to-day  which  I  would  fain  have 
said  yesterday,  but  to  which  I  may  perhaps  give  more 
emphasis  and  more  earnestness  because  of  the  little 
delay. 

I  will  trespass  upon  your  time  but  briefly.  I  must, 
however,  say  that  Dartmouth  congratulates  you  most 
warmly  upon  all  the  joys  of  this  joyous  time.  She  has 
a  right  to  do  so ;  because  Dartmouth  and  Union,  as  in- 
deed you  have  already  heard  in  the  case  of  other  institu- 
tions, are  alike  in  very  many  points.  They  are  of  about 
the  same  age  and  have  nearly  identical  purposes.  They 
are  devoted  to  Christianity,  but  not  to  denominationalism. 
They  believe  in  the  education  of  men  remote  from  the 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  269 

largest  centers  of  population.  They  have  twenty-five  or 
thirty  instructors  on  their  faculties,  teaching  three  or 
four  hundred  students.  I  suppose  in  all  these  particu- 
lars we  are  like  many  other  colleges. 

One  other  common  ground  lies  beneath  the  feet  of  us 
all  and  supports  us  all.  It  is  that  to  which  your  Presi- 
dent so  felicitously  alluded :  the  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  the  Dartmouth  College  case.  That  decision 
showed  the  country  many  years  ago,  and  still  shows  it 
to-daj'^,  that  we  have  nothing  firmer,  nothing  more  sacred, 
nothing  more  truly  venerable  than  our  institutions  of 
learning.     We  do  love  them ;  for  them  we  live. 

Just  one  more  word  and  I  am  done.  The  American 
system  of  education  has  apparently  been  committed  for 
years  to  the  wide  subdivision  of  educational  endowments, 
to  the  multiplication  of  many  colleges  rather  than  to  the 
concentration  of  wealth  in  the  treasuries  of  a  few.  Never 
has  that  distribution  of  academic  endowments  and  means 
been  more  apparent  than  in  the  last  five  or  ten  years. 
We  may  well  question  whether  in  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years  to  come  we  shall  not  be  still  farther  away  from  the 
old  state  of  things  where  one  could  confidently  mention 
the  best  two  or  three  American  institutions  of  learning. 
To-day,  one  is  the  best  in  one  respect,  another  in  another. 
I  believe  that  this  distribution  of  resources  and  attain- 
ments will  go  on  and  on  until  a  hundred  years  hence  we 
shall  have  more  rather  than  less  of  these  separate  cen- 
ters, these  distributing-points  of  light  and  learning.  This 
very  year  the  extensive  reconstruction  of  two  leading 
institutions  in  the  American  metropolis  shows  us,  if  we 
did  not  know  it  before,  what  is  to  be  the  American  policy 
of  the  future. 

"  To  each  his  own,"  said  the  old  Latin  motto.  Other 
things  being  equal,  let  us  serve  the  college  of  our  gradu- 
ation. Other  things  being  equal,  let  us  give  her  our  love, 
our  money,  and  our  sons.     But  let  us  also  remember  an- 


270  UNION    COLLEGE. 

other  thing :  in  the  development  of  the  American  system 
of  education,  in  this  distribution  which  I  cannot  but 
believe  to  be  wise,  one  college  is  to  serve  excellently  in 
one  way,  another  in  another  way.  Diversity  in  unity, — 
that  is  expressive  not  only  of  the  Union  College  which 
stands  for  all  that  is  good  and  true  in  the  past  and  pres- 
ent, and  which  promises  the  same  for  the  future,  but,  as 
I  believe,  of  the  union  of  colleges  devoted  to  the  republic 
of  letters  and  the  democracy  of  true  manhood.  [Ap- 
plause.] 


President  Eaymond  said :  One  of  the  universities  of  the  State  which 
has  been  in  the  closest  relations  with  Union  College  during  the  past  fifty  and 
more  years  is  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Chancellor  Mae- 
Cracken  had  hoped  to  be  with  us  at  this  time,  but  wrote  this  letter,  which 
has  been  received  recently,  and  after  giving  the  reasons,  which  are  alto- 
gether satisfactory,  for  his  enforced  absence,  he  adds  : 

I  regret  that  I  am  thus  hindered  from  presenting  myself  to  the  venerable 
dame  who  sits  so  gracefully  by  the  Mohawk,  and  who  extends  hospitable 
greetings  not  to  her  own  children  alone  but  to  the  children  of  her  sister  col- 
leges. Since  the  days  when  I  was  in  college,  I  have  accepted  Union  as 
approaching  in  many  respects  the  ideal  American  college.  In  situation  near 
a  crowded  population,  yet  outside  the  crowd ;  as  to  control,  under  Christian 
and  moral  influences,  yet  not  denominational ;  in  size,  possessed  of  classes 
large  enough  for  a  faculty  to  become  acquainted  with,  yet  not  too  large  ;  as  to 
constituency  attracting  fair  proportions  from  the  farm,  the  village,  and  the 
city  alike ;  as  to  ideals  of  scholarship  and  manhood  not  surpassed  by  any 
other  college. 

The  men  of  Union  whom  I  have  known  as  fellow-students,  as  conu'ades  in 
educational  and  religious  work,  have  made  Union  College  stand  out  before 
my  eyes  as  fulfilling  all  I  have  said  and  much  more.  What  have  they  not 
done  in  our  metropolis,  New  York  City  ?  I  should  like  to  name  the  names  of 
a  few  were  it  not  that  I  should  give  way,  I  fear,  to  the  temptation  of  men- 
tioning too  many.  I  wish  that  as  Union  begins  her  second  century  she  may 
be  as  kind  and  wise  and  good,  and  a  great  deal  richer  than  she  has  ever  been 
in  the  first  century.  The  Empire  State  has  but  a  dozen  colleges  for  young 
men  fairly  well  endowed.  They  should  be  twelve  apostles  of  knowledge, 
culture,  and  character  to  New  York  State  and  the  nation. 

Sincerely  yom's,  Henry  M.  MacCracken. 


CENTENNIAL    BANQUET.  271 

If  I  may  be  permitted  a  word  after  reading  this  letter,  I  would  like  to  speak 
of  the  gift  which  Union  College  made  to  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York  in  Tayler  Lewis.  We  regretteii  the  gift  and  took  it  back  ;  and  the  last 
years  of  the  life  of  Tayler  Lewis  were  spent  in  connection  with  his  alma 
mater.  That  name  has  been  mentioned  elsewhere  in  the  com-se  of  our  pro- 
ceedings to-day,  a  name  which  is  never  mentioned  without  arousing  the 
warmest  gratitude  of  every  Union  man ;  and  at  the  request  which  I  under- 
stand expresses  a  general  desire,  I  at  this  time  yield  for  a  moment  to  one  of 
our  own  alumni.  Colonel  Robinson,  who  has  a  word  to  say  in  this  connection. 

Colonel  Robinson  made  an  appeal  to  the  alumni  to 
purchase  for  the  college  the  library  of  Professor  Lewis. 

President  Raymond  then  said :  The  relations  between  Union  College 
and  Columbia  have  been  close  in  a  special  way.  It  was  Dr.  Nott  who  early 
in  the  century  fought  a  legislative  battle  for  Columbia  and  secured  for  her 
the  gift  of  the  Botanical  Gardens,  the  source  of  her  present  great  income. 
Columbia  has  always  been  gi-ateful,  and  has  returned  the  favor,  although 
not  in  kind.  As  an  illustration  of  the  return  which  she  has  made,  I  have  but 
to  refer  to  the  fact  that  our  present  scholai-ly  professor  of  Latin  (Sidney  G. 
Ashmore)  is  a  son  of  Columbia  College.     [Applause.] 

When  President  Low  was  forced  to  decline  our  invitation  because  of  his 
engagement  to  sail  for  Europe  early  in  the  month,  he  was  pleased  to  desig- 
nate the  next  in  official  station  as  Columbia's  representative;  and  it  is  my 
privilege  to  present  Professor  Van  Amringe,  Dean  of  Columbia  College. 


SPEECH   OF  J.  H.  YAN  AMRINGIE, 

Demi  of  Columbia  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  and  Gentlemen:  It  is  with  very 
great  pleasure  that  I  appear  on  behalf  of  Columbia 
College  to  congratulate  Union  upon  the  happy  completion 
of  a  century  of  useful  life.  I  may,  perhaps,  be  pardoned 
if,  on  this  occasion,  to  catch  by  reflection,  perchance, 
something  of  the  glory  that  gathers  about  this  seat  of 
learning,  I  claim  that,  in  a  historic  and  also  in  a  certain 
spiritual  sense.  Union  is  an  offspring  of  Columbia. 

Columbia  had  already  been  a  generation  at  work  before 
Union  was  called  into  being, —  a  generation  of  momentous 
consequence  to  mankind  in  which  she  had  played  no 


272  UNION    COLLEGE. 

mean  part.  Her  aspirations,  her  experience,  her  difficul- 
ties, and  her  accoiaplishment  were  familiar  to  the  men 
who  founded  this  college,  and  they  used  them,  like  wise 
men,  in  framing  their  charter  and  outlining  then-  educa- 
tional policies.  She  appears  to  have  been  the  incentive 
to  the  creation  of  the  Eegents  of  the  University  of  the 
State,  and  upon  her  was  their  attention  first  centered. 
But  that  body  involved,  as  you  know,  a  larger  concept 
than  could  be  filled  by  the  activities  of  a  single  institution 
in  one  corner  of  the  State.  The  Board  of  Eegents  was 
intended  to  be,  and  is,  the  outward  and  visible  sign  of  an 
essential  union  of  all  the  academic  and  collegiate  institu- 
tions throughout  this  commonwealth.  The  first  fruit  of 
the  idea  thus  embodied,  as  regards  higher  institutions,  was 
this  college,  so  happily  and  so  auspiciously  styled  "  Union 
College," — expressing  thus  by  its  title  the  hope  and  the 
design  of  the  founders,  that  here  should  be  cultivated 
and  exemplified  all  the  Christian  graces  that  flourish  in 
any  and  every  religious  denomination,  and  typifying  no 
less  the  spirit  of  unity  that  animates  the  entire  educa- 
tional system  of  New  York. 

We  celebrate  then,  sir,  to-day,  not  only  the  centennial 
of  Union,  inspiring  as  that  of  itself  is,  but,  in  addition, 
the  oneness  of  interest  in  the  public  service  of  all  colleges. 
For  what  is  any  single  college  but  one  constituent  part 
of  a  systematic  whole,  contrived  and  conducted  as  an 
accelerating  force  in  civilization ;  one  element  of  an  or- 
ganized desire  and  effort  to  raise  all  men  to  a  higher  level ; 
one  section  of  the  girdle  that  encircles  the  country  con- 
ducting everywhere  throughout  her  borders  life-giving, 
character-building  influences?  The  individual  colleges 
have,  of  necessity,  their  chosen  fields  of  action.  They 
severally  spend  their  energies  and  find  their  chief  satis- 
faction in  following  out  their  own  especial  lines  of  en- 
deavor. Each  has,  of  course,  charactei'istics  peculiar  to 
itself ;  but  if  from  the  strongly  marked  features  of  them 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  27)i 

all  you  make  a  composite  picture,  it  will  show  you  the 
image  of  one  of  the  two  necessary  saviors  of  this  Re- 
public, the  other  being  the  Church.  All  college  reunions, 
celebrations  such  as  this,  bring  this  truth  i)roniinently  into 
view  and  enforce  a  lesson  that  is  most  valuable  for  all  of 
us  to  learn ;  it  raises  us  to  a  higher  plane  of  contempla- 
tion in  educational  matters,  and  makes  us  more  just  in 
our  judgments  of  each  other,  more  catholic  in  spirit  and 
in  action. 

The  charter  constituting  Union,  dated  February  25, 1795, 
and  bearing  the  honored  names  of  George  Clinton,  Chan- 
cellor, and  DeWitt  Clinton,  Secretary,  declared  that  this 
college  was  established  "for  the  instruction  and  educa- 
tion of  youth,  in  the  learned  languages  and  the  libei'al  arts 
and  sciences."  The  century  that  has  since  elapsed  has 
wrought  a  great  change  in  the  conception  of  what  con- 
stitutes a  collegiate  education  proper,  the  "  education  of 
a  gentleman."  The  years  have  been  fruitful  in  extending 
the  boundaries  of  learning,  in  widening  particularly  the 
circle  of  the  sciences;  in  begetting  a  new  spirit  of  re- 
search after  new  truth,  and  a  different  method  of  present- 
ing to  students  that  which  is  already  known.  A  century 
ago,  the  academic  curriculum  was  practically  as  well 
marked  out,  as  definitely  settled,  as  is  the  technical  course 
in  a  professional  school  of  to-day.  But  that  has  long- 
ceased  to  be  the  fact,  and  we  are  still  in  the  throes  of 
an  agitation  as  to  what  are  the  necessary  elements  of  a 
liberal  education.  But  however  widely  we  may  differ  in 
opinion,  however  much  we  may  dispute,  as  to  the  con- 
stituents of  such  an  education,  we  are  at  one  as  to  the 
vital  importance  of  the  thing  itself.  Whatever  may  be 
the  several  ways  of  striving  for  the  result,  the  intent  is 
the  same  everj^where,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever.  It 
is  to  make  men, —  not  merely  professional  men  and  spe- 
cialists; to  cultivate  men  in  the  spirit  and  for  the  pur- 
pose expressed  in  the  legend  that  the  great  philosophic 
18 


274  UNION    COLLEGE. 

historian  and  teacher,  Francis  Lieber,  inscribed  on  the 
wall  of  his  lecture-room :  Non  scholce  sed  vitm,  vitm  utrique. 
How  steadily  Union  has  kept  this  end  in  view,  and  how 
well  she  has  thus  far  executed  the  trust  confided  to  her, 
are  clear  to  those  who  read  her  story  in  the  services  of  her 
alumni,  are  evident  to  any  one  who  will  look  about  him 
upon  this  impressive  assemblage  of  her  sons.  That  she 
shall  continue  her  good  work  with  ever-increasing  vigor 
and  repute  is  the  earnest  desire  of  Columbia;  and  in  its 
prosecution,  Mr.  President,  you  have  our  warmest  good 
wishes.     [Applause.] 


President  Raymond  said:  And  now  comes  Bowdoin,  rich  in  the  in- 
heritance of  names  that  are  dear  to  every  American  heart,  the  youngest 
centenarian  in  the  college  world,  as  barely  one  year  has  passed  since  she 
attained  the  distinction  of  a  hundred  years  of  life.  We  gave  her  a  President, 
but  every  college  in  America  is  debtor  to  the  alma  mater  of  Longfellow  and 
Hawthorne.  Most  sincerely  do  we  appreciate  the  courtesy  which  has  sent 
from  such  a  distance  a  representative  to  bring  the  greetings  of  Bowdoin 
College.    We  welcome  Professor  William  MacDouald. 


SPEECH   OF   WILLIAM  MACDONALD, 

Professor  in  Bowdoin  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT;  Alumni  of  Union  College  and 
Friends:  When  your  President  extended  a  cour- 
teous invitation  to  Bowdoin  to  be  represented  at  this 
gathering  to-day,  he  said  in  his  letter  to  our  President, 
that  as  Bowdoin  had  recently  passed  through  a  centen- 
nial celebration,  she  would  know  well  how  to  "  sympa- 
thize "  with  Union  ;  and  the  first  thing  which  I  should  do 
at  this  time  is  to  extend  to  Union  College  on  behalf  of 
Bowdoin  our  sincere  and  profound  sympathy. 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  2  tO 

I  count  it  a  great  pleasui'e  to  be  able  to  be  here  to-day 
as  a  representative  of  Bowdoin,  and  to  see  your  centen- 
nial exercises  passing  with  such  great  success.  When 
President  Hyde  informed  me  that  I  had  been  delegated 
to  represent  the  college  here  to-day,  I  asked  him  what  I 
should  say.  His  reply  was :  "  Say  anything  you  please, 
only  make  it  short."  I  want,  therefore,  without  being 
known  for  much  speaking,  to  extend  the  congratulations 
of  Bowdoin  upon  the  possession  by  Union  College  of  men 
who  in  every  department  of  life  have  done  distinguished 
service, —  men  who  have  been  great  statesmen,  great 
scholars,  great  business  men,  great  administrators  of  af- 
fairs. We  congratulate  you  upon  the  skill,  ability,  and 
devotion  with  which  your  college  is  now  directed ;  and 
we  congratulate  you  —  shall  I  say  most  of  all  ?  —  upon 
the  large  numbers  of  your  alumni  who,  without  making 
for  themselves  great  places,  without  attaining  great  dis- 
tinction, without  coming  here  to-day  with  a  long  train 
of  honors,  have,  nevertheless,  carried  into  their  lives  as 
citizens,  as  fathers,  as  professional  men,  as  public  men, 
those  principles  of  truthfulness  and  earnestness,  of 
honesty,  devotion  and  manliness,  which  are  the  sure 
foundations  of  our  American  life. 

It  was  said  the  other  evening  by  one  of  the  speakers 
that  in  his  judgment  the  American  university  must  stand 
—  I  think  that  was  his  word  —  upon  the  college.  Those 
of  us  who  work  in  the  colleges  hope  that  the  American 
university  will  never  "  step  "  upon  the  college.  [A  voice : 
"  Grood,"  and  applause.] 

We  congratulate  you  upon  going  into  your  second 
century  with  such  reverence  and  enthusiasm  for  the  past ; 
and  I  venture  to  express  the  hope  that,  as  your  new  cen- 
tury opens,  filled  with  problems  more  complicated,  more 
intricate,  more  taxing  and  difficult  than  ever  have  sur- 
rounded the  American  college  before,  you  may  support 
your  administration  here,  as  it  puts  out  its  new  ideas,  its 


276  UNION    COLLEGE. 

new  methods,  its  new  discoveries,  with  the  same  enthu- 
siasm, the  same  devotion,  the  same  love  for  Union  which 
you  manifest  here  to-day  for  your  honorable  past.  [Ap- 
plause.] 


President  Raymond  :  Uniou  College  has  always  had  a  door  open  toward 
the  South,  and  a  warm  hand  of  greeting  for  every  visitor  and  traveler  from 
the  Land  of  Chivalry.  Where  names  are  honored  no  words  are  needed  to 
express  our  appreciation  of  the  presence  of  Professor  John  Randolph  Tucker 
[applause],  who  comes  to  us  in  the  name  of  Washington  and  Lee  University. 


SPEECH  OF  JOHN  RANDOLPH  TUCKER, 

Professor  in  Washington  and  Lee  University. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Trustees,  and  Alumni  of  Union 
College :  I  thank  you,  sir,  very  heartily  for  the  kind 
way  in  which  you  have  introduced  me  to  this  audience; 
and  I  can  say  that  it  is  with  very  great  pleasure  that  I 
stand  here  to  extend  my  greetings  to  this  old  institution 
at  the  closing  of  its  first  and  the  opening  of  its  second 
century  of  usefulness  and  distinction.  It  so  happens,  I 
think,  in  looking  around  this  board  and  in  looking  over 
this  audience,  that  I  am  well-nigh  the  oldest  man  here ; 
and  that  I  heard  of  Dr.  Nott  almost  before  any  man  here 
ever  heard  of  him.  I  am  no  stranger  to  Union  College ; 
for,  nearly  sixty  years  ago,  a  young  man  who  was  a 
bachelor  of  arts  of  this  institution  taught  me  the  classics 
and  mathematics  in  a  private  school  in  my  father's  family 
in  Virginia;  and  I  knew  then  from  him  the  nature  and 
character  of  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  who  presided  over  this 
institution  at  that  time.  [Applause.]  And  old  Dr.  Nott's 
name  has  been  a  kind  of  household  word  with  me  ever 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  277 

since,  and  I  honor  him  and  honor  the  university  of  whicih 
he  was  the  illustrious  president.  I  owe  something  to  this 
institution  on  another  ground.  It  did  me  the  honor  to 
invite  me  to  address  its  law  students  at  Albany  some 
years  ago,  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  doing  ;  and  I  come 
to-day,  on  behalf  of  the  university  of  which  I  am  a  hum- 
ble and  earnest  professor,  to  extend  to  you  my  greetings 
on  this  auspicious  anniversary.  There  are  several  things 
about  your  institution  which  touch  my  sympathy  and 
strike  me  as  analogous  to  our  own.  In  the  first  place 
you  took  your  first  president  from  Virginia.  Dr.  John 
Blair  Smith,  the  first  president  of  Union  College  in  1795, 
was  taken  from  old  Hampden  Sidney  College  in  the  State 
of  Virginia,  of  which  he  was  then  president  —  I  believe 
that  is  true,  Mr.  President. 

There  is  also  much  sympathy  between  your  institution 
and  ours  in  that,  while  you  are,  as  we  are  or  profess  to 
be,  a  deeply  religious  institution,  there  is  no  sectarianism 
or  denominationalism  in  the  polity  of  either. 

There  is  another  thing  that  I  hear  about  your  institu- 
tion which  I  sympathize  with  very  greatly,  and  that  is, 
that  instead  of  multitudinous  regulations  for  the  conduct 
of  young  men  in  your  institution,  you  put  them  upon  the 
platform  of  honor,  personal  honor,  as  the  only  basis  on 
which  the  collegian's  life  can  be  properly  regulated.  That 
is  the  method  of  government  in  our  institutions.  An  ap- 
peal to  the  honor  of  a  young  American  is  the  highest 
appeal  that  can  be  made.  If  he  cannot  behave  himself 
as  a  student  upon  his  honor,  he  cannot  come  into  any  of 
our  institutions:  that  is  all  there  is  about  that.  [Ap- 
plause.] 

Now,  Mr.  President,  as  the  representative  of  the  only 
institution  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  here  to-day, 
I  do  not  feel  solitary  and  alone,  because  there  are  bonds 
between  you  and  me  which  make  me  feel  at  home.  Let 
me  tell  you  something  of  this  old  institution  with  which 
18*" 


278  UNION    COLLEGE. 

I  am  connected,  and  very  briefly.  It  is  now  Washington 
and  Lee  University ;  it  was  old  Liberty  Hall  Academy 
founded  by  the  Scotch-Irish  migration  from  the  Cumber- 
land Valley  in  Pennsylvania  into  the  Valley  of  Virginia, 
between  the  years  1730  and  1740.  They  established  what 
they  called  "  Liberty  Hall  Academy  "  in  the  town  of  Lex- 
ington where  I  live ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution, 
Virginia  presented  to  the  father  of  this  country,  as  an 
evidence  of  her  affection  and  esteem  and  as  a  reward  for 
his  services,  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  the  stock  in  a  great 
waterway  which  was  to  connect  the  ocean  with  the  Ohio 
River.  True  to  the  instincts  of  his  unique  and  splendid 
patriotism,  he  declined  any  compensation  for  his  public 
services.  In  the  eloquent  language  of  Lord  Camden  on 
another  occasion,  "  he  knew  that  the  price  of  his  work 
was  immortality,  and  that  posterity  would  pay  it " ;  but 
he  asked  that  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  stock  in  this 
company  should  be  appropriated  to  Liberty  Hall  Acad- 
emy ;  and  Liberty  Hall  Academy  was  then  incorporated 
in  the  year  1788  with  that  as  its  only  endowment,  and 
was  named  Washington  College  after  the  father  of  his 
country.  It  afterwards  received  increased  endowments 
from  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  from  a  generous 
citizen,  John  Robinson.  This  college  continued  in  opera- 
tion until  the  late  war  between  the  North  and  the  South, 
the  close  of  which  found  it  a  good  deal  broken  up.  The 
trustees  invited  to  the  presidency  of  the  institution  Gen- 
eral Robert  E.  Lee,  who,  putting  aside  the  memory  of  an 
illustrious  and  wonderful  military  career,  assumed  the 
garb  of  a  patriotic  citizen  of  a  restored  and  united  coun- 
try. [Applause.]  He  consecrated  the  last  five  years  of  his 
life  to  instructing  the  youth  of  the  land  by  the  thousands, 
who  gathered  there  under  his  direction,  to  become  the 
patriotic  citizens  of  a  common  and  undivided  country.  At 
his  death  the  college  asked  for  a  change  of  its  charter  and 
a  change  of  its  name,  and  united  with  the  name  of  Wash- 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  279 

iiigton  the  name  of  Lee  under  the  title  of  Washington  and 
Lee  University. 

Whatever  differences  there  may  be  between  us  in  refer- 
ence to  past  events,  tliere  is  no  difference  between  us  on 
the  gi'eat  subjects  wliich  have  called  us  together  to-day. 
Thank  God!  learning,  philosophy  and  science,  religion 
and  morality,  have  no  sectionalism,  have  no  locality ;  their 
domicile  is  everywhere;  their  home  is  the  world.  And 
we  are  together  to-day  shaking  hands,  not  across  any 
chasm,  but  shaking  hands  across  this  festive  board,  as 
friends  for  the  elevation  of  American  manhood  l)y  the 
extension  of  all  the  educational  methods  within  our  reach. 
In  diverse  localities  we  are  cooperators  in  the  same  move- 
ment— you  in  your  locality,  we  in  ours.  It  is  ours,  as 
yours,  to  train  American  manhood  to  be  broad,  profound, 
catholic,  and  generous ;  to  hold  up  the  constitution  of  our 
fathers,  with  all  its  amendments,  as  the  sheet  anchor  of 
the  hope  of  the  Union  of  all  these  American  Common- 
wealths. We  have  a  government  derived  from  institu- 
tional principles ;  but  a  government  founded  on  a  written 
constitution,  to  which  every  man  owes  unlimited  allegi- 
ance. It  is  ours  to  train  every  young  American  to  cling 
to  this  constitution  of  a  renewed  union  with  unfailing 
fidelity,  and  to  make  it  a  power  for  the  maintenance  of 
our  American  civilization  and  our  constitutional  liberties 
in  all  their  pristine  integrity ;  and  to  perpetuate  them  to 
the  generations  that  are  to  come;  and  furthermore  to 
cause  it  by  its  splendid  example  (to  paraphrase  the  elo- 
quent language  of  Webster)  to  circle  the  whole  earth,  not 
with  the  martial  strains  of  any  land  or  any  nation,  but 
with  the  divine  strains  of  glory  to  God  in  the  highest  and 
on  earth  peace  and  good  will  towards  men.     [Applause.] 

Mr.  President,  the  waning  hours  of  the  evening  and 
the  limitation  that  I  understood  to  be  upon  me,  make  me 
desist  from  any  further  speaking,  except  to  add  that  I 
come  to  you  with  greetings  from  our  institution  of  learn- 


280  UNION    COLLEGE. 

ing, —  not  authorized,  because  I  did  not  expect  to  be  here, 
and  Washington  and  Lee  did  not  know  I  was  coming 
here ;  but  I  undertake  to  say  that  I  convey  no  more  than 
they  wonld  authorize  me  to  convey, —  I  come  with  greet- 
ings from  the  universities  and  colleges  of  Virginia  to  you 
on  this  auspicious  centennial  anniversary.  We  bid  you 
Godspeed  in  the  great  work  in  which  we  are  all  engaged, 
to  build  up  American  civilization  upon  a  Christian  basis 
not  only  for  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  but  as  a  bene- 
faction to  all  mankind.     [Long  applause.] 


President  Raymond  :  After  Washington,  what  name  shall  I  mention  if 
not  Hamilton  ?  The  college  that  perpetuates  the  name  of  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton is  represented  by  Professor  Oren  Root. 


SPEECH   OF   OREN   ROOT, 

Professor  in  UmniJton  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Alumni:  I 
thought  as  I  found  my  way  from  the  hills  of  Oneida 
that  it  was  very  many  years  since  the  messengers  from 
the  second  station  of  the  Iroquois  "  Long  house  "  brought 
their  greetings  to  the  others  who  stood  at  the  eastern 
gate.  It  is  more  than  a  hundred  years  since  those  fleet- 
footed  messengers  of  the  Oneidas  brought  their  greetings 
to  the  home  of  the  Mohawks.  I  have  come  to-day,  putting 
behind  me  the  wonted  joys  of  my  own  college  commence- 
ment that  I  might  bring  to  you  the  greetings  of  Hamilton. 
I  do  not  know  that  I  can  tell  very  much  of  the  obliga- 
tions under  which  we  rest.  We  shall  have  a  centennial 
not  many  years  hence,  and  perhaps,  as  college  ages  run, 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  281 

we  are  a  little  too  near  the  age  of  Union  to  have  had  any 
very  marked  intiuence  pass  from  the  one  to  the  other. 
There  have  been  influences,  however,  and  they  have  been 
potent  in  the  life  of  Hamilton  College.  I  can  remember 
but  one  student  who  left  the  halls  of  Union  to  come  to 
Hamilton  College ;  but  he  bore  with  him  the  badge  and 
the  spirit  of  his  fraternity,  and  that  has  been  a  power  in 
Hamilton  College  from  that  day  to  this.  As  I  look  at 
my  friend  whom  I  knew  once  as  Tutor  De  Remer,  and 
recall  his  fraternity,  I  know  that  Hamilton  College  has 
l^aid  the  debt.  There  have  been  other  influences,  not  a 
few,  but  they  have  been  slight.  I  could  tell  you  of  one 
that  undoubtedly  would  escape  the  eye  of  the  historian. 
A  little  more  than  forty  years  ago  a  Hamilton  professor 
came  to  your  campus.  He  found  on  its  northern  corner 
the  home  and  the  garden  of  Professor  Jackson ;  and  wind- 
ing through  the  walks  of  the  garden  and  among  its  shad- 
ows, the  thought  came  to  him  of  the  possibilities  for 
something  of  the  kind  that  lay  in  the  land  just  southward 
of  his  home.  And  he  went  back  to  that  home  on  the 
Clinton  hills,  and  there  out  of  his  meager  professor's  sal- 
ary, he  added  acre  after  acre  and  acre  after  acre  to  his 
ground,  and  all  the  time  before  him  was  the  beautiful 
suggestion  from  this  beautiful  garden,  mentioned,  I 
know,  again  and  again  in  this  week  of  rejoicing;  and  to- 
day the  garden  of  Professor  Jackson  is  reproduced  as 
nearly  as  may  be  just  on  the  edge  of  the  Hamilton  campus. 
Year  by  year,  through  these  more  than  forty  years,  there 
have  been  going  out  through  these  gardens  the  educa- 
tional influences  that,  all  unseen,  and  often  unrealized, 
are  mightier  than  we  dream  in  the  formation,  not  so 
much  of  scholarship,  perhaps,  but  of  character,  in  our 
college  boys. 

I  desire,  sir,  to  congi-atulate  you  on  this  hundred  years. 
I  have  heard  it  named  over  and  over  again  as  a  hundred 
years  old.     Mr.  President,  it  is  not  a  hundred  years  old 


282  UNION    COLLEGE. 

at  all.  It  is  a  hundred  years  j/oiDig,  not  old.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  soul-age.  I  feel  sometimes  like  uttering  a 
protest  against  what  we  call  a  revival  of  the  past.  It  is 
because  our  ears  are  deaf  that  there  is  no  singing  of  the 
song.  It  is  because  we  cannot  see  it,  as  it  softly  moves 
through  the  shadows. 

There  is  no  revival.  There  is  life  forever,  and  always 
out  of  the  far  past,  and  I  do  not  altogether  care  whether 
we  know  its  face  or  not.  I  have  no  particular  desire  for 
mummy  companionship  as  it  comes  out  from  under  the 
Lybian  hills,  because  I  know  that  to  our  life  that  old 
Egyptian  civilization  has  come  along  Hebraic  and  Hel- 
lenic lines.  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead.  We  have 
changed  it  now.  Let  the  dead  past  bury  its  dead.  Aye ! 
But  out  of  that  dead  past  there  has  gone  always  its  living 
self,  and  let  not  that  be  buried !  When  the  living  self 
out  of  any  past  is  buried,  then  there  come  the  dark  ages, 
but  the  life  moves  on.  Do  any  of  us  dream  that  there  is 
less  of  very  life  in  the  questions  of  Socrates,  in  the  words 
that  come  to  us  from  Plato,  than  rested  there  when  they 
were  first  spoken  by  the  ^gean  ?  Their  soul  was  buried 
in  the  dark  ages,  and  the  schoolmen  heaped  their  ques- 
tions about  them  ;  but  the  living  in  that  dead  past  came 
forth.  Such  a  gathering  as  this  to-day  shows  that  your 
past  is  living,  that  the  past  of  Union  is  as  active  as  it 
ever  was.  I  see  now  and  then  in  the  newspapers  a  note 
to  the  effect  that  "  So-and-So  "  is  the  oldest  living  gradu- 
ate of  this  or  that  college.  In  the  broadest  and  truest 
sense  the  oldest  li\dng  graduate  of  Union  is  the  first 
name  on  its  contmy's  roll  of  graduates,  the  first  man  who 
here  received  the  honors  of  his  scholarly  career. 

I  am  glad  that  there  is  this  loyalty  to  Union, —  glad 
from  my  own  heart,  not  only,  but  glad  I  know  from  the 
heart  of  Hamilton.  It  is  a  grand  thing  to  be  loyal, — 
loyal  not  to  the  past  of  things,  but  to  the  soul  of  things. 
It  is   grand,  brethren,  to  be   actively  loyal;    grand  to 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  283 

be  joyously  loyal ;  loyal  singing ;  loyal  to  music,  as  the 
sailors  on  the  Trenton  in  the  harbor  of  Samoa.  Amid 
the  fury  of  the  humcane  and  the  madness  of  the  sea,  as 
the  great  flagship  was  drifting  on  the  breakers,  they  ran 
up  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  the  foremast,  while  the  band 
struck  up  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner."  That  was  loy- 
alty, loyalty  in  the  face  of  death,  and  it  was  glad  loyalty 
to  music.  From  knowledge  of  the  years  of  the  past,  we 
can  hope  for  the  years  to  be  that  the  sons  of  Union  shall 
be  loyal. 

As  I  glanced  over  your  centennial  catalogue  of  '94  and 
'95,  I  recognized  here  and  there  what  even  my  slight 
knowledge  of  your  great  roster  told  me  were  the  sons 
of  other  generations,  the  far  generation,  perhaps ;  and  it  is 
our  hope  that  for  you  there  shall  be  this  active  loyalty  to 
the  soul  of  things,  and  that  your  one  hundred  years  shall 
lengthen  into  two  hundred  years,  and  that  you  will  still 
go  on  and  on  to  an  eternal  superlative.     [Applause.] 


¥ 


Prksident  Raymond  said :  Many  and  strong  are  the  ties  which  unite  us 
with  Amherst.  I  forbear  to  mention  them  as  I  introduce  Professor  Anson 
D.  Morse,  who  speaks  to  us  in  the  name  of  Amherst. 


SPEECH   OF  ANSON   D.  MORSE, 

Professor  in  Amherst  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  and  Gentlemen  of  Union:  I  have 
listened  with  interest  and  approval  to  the  expres- 
sions of  gratitude  to  Union  which  have  been  so  frequent 
at  this  gathering ;  and  yet  through  it  all  I  have  felt  the 
conviction  that  there  is  no  college  that  owes  so  great  a 


284  UNION    COLLEGE. 

debt  to  Union  as  Amherst.  It  is  more  than  twenty  years 
ago  that  your  distinguished  alumnus,  professor,  and  presi- 
dent, Dr.  Laurens  P.  Hickok,  came  to  Amherst  to  make 
his  home  there.  It  is  true  that  he  never  held  an  official 
relationship  to  the  college ;  but  from  the  day  he  came  to 
the  end  of  the  twenty  years  which  he  spent  there,  he  was 
a  powerful  factor  in  its  life.  I  remember  well  (for  it  was 
in  my  own  undergraduate  days)  the  sensation  that  his 
coming  made.  To  many  of  us  he  seemed  the  embodiment 
of  philosophy.  And  those  of  us  who  had  the  privilege 
of  making  his  personal  acquaintance,  received  from  him 
that  very  best  gift  which  the  young  can  receive  from 
their  elders,  namely,  an  enlargement  of  ideas  and  an  en- 
nobling of  ideals.  But  the  influence  of  Dr.  Hickok  on 
Amherst  began  earlier  and  lasted  longer  than  his  sojourn 
with  us.  More  than  a  dozen  years  previous  to  his  arrival 
at  Amherst,  his  kinsman,  interpreter,  and  disciple,  our 
lamented  President  Seelye,  settled  at  Amherst  as  professor 
of  mental  and  moral  philosophy ;  and  the  system  which 
he  taught  was  the  system  which  Dr.  Hickok  had  elabo- 
rated. Whatever  else  we  may  say  of  that  system,  every 
Amherst  man  believes  that  it  is  a  strong  system,  and 
knows  that  at  Amherst  it  has  been  strongly  and  efficiently 
taught.  I  believe  that  it  is  the  simple  truth  to  say  that, 
for  more  than  one  third  of  a  century,  the  influence  of 
this  philosophy  has  entered  as  a  structural  element  into 
the  mental  and  moral  character  of  every  thoughtful 
Amherst  graduate. 

It  is,  Mr.  President,  because  of  this  immeasurable  ser- 
vice, that  our  greeting  is  something  very  unlike  and  far 
superior  to  a  merely  formal  expression  of  interest  and 
good  will  in  your  centennial.     [Applause.] 


^ 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  285 

President  Raymond  theu  said :  The  question  has  doubtless  occurred  to 
luauy,  iu  consideration  of  the  well-known  position  of  the  Dutch  upon  the 
question  of  education,  Why  did  not  a  college  appear  iu  the  Mohawk  Valley 
as  early  at  least  as  any  college  iu  New  England  ?  The  answer  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  New  England  colleges  began  as  schools  for  the  training  of  Chris-  • 
tian  ministers,  because  Puritanism  had  broken  away  from  the  Church  of 
England,  and  so  from  the  great  English  universities,  tlius  cutting  off  its 
candidates  for  the  ministry  from  the  sources  of  learning  in  the  mother  coun- 
try. Holland,  on  the  other  hand,  retaining  the  sympathy  and  affectionate 
allegiance  of  her  colonists  in  America,  remained  still  the  fountain  from 
which  the  Dutch  upon  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  supplied  their  clergy  with 
learning.  They  either  brought  their  ministers  from  Holland,  or  sent  their 
sons  to  Holland  to  be  educated.  When  the  final  separation  came  between 
the  Dutch  at  home  and  the  Dutch  in  America,  Rutgers  College  was  organ- 
ized ;  and  Rutgers  College  was  amply  sufficient  for  many  years  to  fill  all  the 
requirements  of  the  Dutch  Church.  I  think  that  this  may  explain  why  there 
was  not  a  Dutch  college  in  the  Mohawk  Valley  as  early  as  a  college  any- 
where in  New  England.  It  is  well  known  that  the  foundations  of  Union 
College  were  laid  by  the  sons  of  Holland.  That  is  enough  in  itself  to  bring 
us  into  closest  fellowship  with  Rutgers  College.  My  own  personal  relations 
with  Rutgers  College  have  been  very  intimate,  through  my  gi'aduation  at  the 
New  Brunswick  Theological  Seminary,  and  my  ministry  for  several  years  in 
the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church.  On  behalf  of  the  college,  and,  personally, 
with  warm  esteem,  I  greet  President  Scott,  of  Rutgers  College. 


SPEECH   OF  AUSTIN   SCOTT, 

President  of  Eutgers  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  aeutlemen  of  Union:  In  calling 
upon  Rutgers,  whose  origin  was  Dutch,  you  are  get- 
ting back  to  first  principles.  We  have  learned  lately  that 
the  Dutch  did  it  all.  We  have  all  read  Campbell's  book, 
and  know  that  England  is  the  result  of  the  Dutch,  and 
America  is  a  product  of  the  Dutch.  We  have  now  got 
into  the  house.  Up  to  this  time,  Mr.  President,  you  have 
been  on  the  porch.  You  have  had  the  neighborly  greet- 
ings, and  it  has  been  very  pleasant  out  there  on  the  porch; 
but  it  has  been  the  porch.  Now  you  are  in  the  house. 
A  moment  ago  when  you  passed  down  the  line  I  knew 
very  well  what  your  thought  was  when  you  did  not  sum- 


286  UNION    COLLEGE. 

mon  the  representative  of  Rutgers  in  the  order  marked 
out  upon  the  roster  here.  I  knew  it  was  because  we  were 
the  real  sister.  I  knew  that,  though  the  flocking  in  of 
these  gentle  maidens  to  the  gossip  and  talk  there  on  the 
steps  of  the  veranda  was  very  pleasant,  when  we  got  up 
into  our  chamber  and  were  taking  down  our  back  hair, 
then  we  would  have  all  the  confidences  of  sisters.  [Con- 
vulsive laughter.] 

Further  than  that,  Mr.  President,  when  I  perceived 
your  evident  knowledge  of  and  familiarity  with  all  the 
forces  that  have  made  that  that  is  and  that  that  is  to  be, 
to  which  my  honored  friend  here  upon  the  right  has  paid 
such  a  magnificent  tribute,  of  the  strength  of  America, 
its  educational  system  and  its  ideals,  I  knew  all  the  time 
when  you  were  showing  such  familiarity  and  the  usual 
presidential  omniscience, —  all  the  time  I  knew  you  were 
Dutch,  sir.  [Laughter.]  I  remembered  what  a  friend 
of  mine  said  to  some  students  who  were  coming  to  be 
admitted  into  Michigan  University.  Instead  of  saying, 
"  Are  you  well  prepared  for  the  examination  in  Greek ! " 
he  said  to  one  young  man,  "  Do  you  know  Greek '? "  And 
the  youngster  said,  "  I  don't  know  Greek,  but  I  have  been 
in  contact  with  it  about  twelve  years."  I  remembered 
that  our  honored  president  to-day  had  passed  Rntgers 
College  for  several  years  on  his  way  up  the  hill  to  the 
seminary.  And  if  that  were  not  enough,  look  at  his 
name  and  see  these  two  Dutch  "  Vs"  cuddled  up  there! 
That  which  will  ever  keep  in  poise  the  ideal  work  that 
the  president  is  to  do  is  to  preserve  there  the  balance  of 
the  two  "Vs".    Spellit  always  with  a  "wee".    [Laughter.] 

Mr.  President,  the  hour  is  late.  The  time  warns  me 
that  I  must  only  say  a  word.  What  shall  it  be  1  Yester- 
day I  took  a  stroll  through  Captain  Jack's  garden,  and, 
so  far  as  the  day  allowed,  toward  the  confines,  if  there 
be  such,  of  your  campus,  though  I  take  it,  it  is  like 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  287 

Paddy's  rope  —  the  end  is  cut  off.  I  do  not  know,  sir, 
why  that  may  not  be  typical  of  your  college,  which  stands 
in  that  respect  as  the  representative  of  them  all.  You 
have  heard  here  from  one  and  another  and  anothei-,  of 
how  Union  College  has  touched  their  interests  and  has 
fostered  their  hopes,  and  you  have  heard  the  tribute  all 
around  the  circle  paid  to  Union.  Somehow  or  other  I 
feel  that  Union  represents  the  horizon.  You  remember 
one  of  the  happiest  mots  in  Proctor  Knott's  Duluth  speech 
was  that  Duluth  was  very  peculiar  in  this  respect,  that  it 
was  equidistant  from  the  horizon  on  all  sides,  [Laughter.] 
As  I  stood  last  night  upon  this  campus  of  Union,  the 
thought  came  to  me,  and  it  occurs  again  to-day  as  I  hear 
these  tributes  from  all  around  the  circle,  Is  not  Union 
College  the  horizon  itself?     [Applause.] 

We  cannot  pay  the  debt  we  all  owe,  Mr.  President,  we 
cannot  pay  that  debt  any  more  than  children  can  pay 
debts  backward  to  their  parents.  The  only  way  is  to  pay 
them  forward,  and  to  take  just  as  good  care  of  our  chil- 
dren as  our  parents  have  taken  of  us.  So,  whatever  we 
have  received,  and  you  are  learning  to  know,  as  I  think 
with  all  your  presidential  omniscience  you  have  not  known 
before,  in  the  words  that  have  been  recited  in  your  hear- 
ing to-day,  what  is  the  debt  they  owe  all  around  the 
horizon. 

In  that  letter  read  in  your  hearing  just  now.  Chancellor 
MacCracken  spoke  of  the  twelve  colleges  of  New  York  as 
something  like  the  twelve  apostles.  It  occurred  to  me  at 
once  to  name  them,  and  when  I  thought  of  the  place  that 
this  dear  college  should  take,  I  thought  of  its  appropriate 
name.  You  will  remember  that  when  the  centurion  said 
to  St.  Paul,  "  With  a  great  cost  obtained  1  this  freedom," 
St.  Paul  said  in  righteous  pride,  "  But  I  was  free  born." 
St.  Paul  among  the  colleges,  Mr.  President,  is  this  Col- 
lege of  Union.    We  have  heard  that  liberty  and  union 


288  UNION    COLLEGE. 

should  be  one  and  inseparable.  Here,  sir,  we  have  it. 
Liberty  presided  at  Union's  birth.  Union  it  is ;  Union  it 
will  be.    Esto  perpetua  !    [Prolonged  applause.] 


$ 


President  Eaymond  :  Before  announcing  the  last  speaker,  I  wish  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  instrument  which  I  hold  in  my  hand  is 
made  from  pieces  of  wood  taken  from  the  class  elm  in  the  college  garden, 
and  from  Dr.  Nott's  three-wheeled  chariot.  It  was  popularly  supposed  in  my 
college  days  that  he  went  up  in  the  three-wheeled  chariot.  How  did  we  come 
by  this  ?     [Laughter.] 

I  wish  also  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Raymond  and  myself  will 
be  very  glad  to  see  you  at  our  home  as  you  pass  from  here  or  the  college  gar- 
den this  afternoon.  We  shall  be  at  home  from  five  o'clock  until  six,  and 
shall  be  glad  to  welcome  you. 

We  might  be  willing  to  call  Rutgers  the  real  sister,  if  it  were  not  for  Vas- 
sar.  [Applause  and  laughter.]  Union  has  shown  her  regard  for  the  educa- 
tion of  women  by  giving  the  first  President  to  Elmira  College,  to  Rutgers 
Female  Seminary,  to  Smith  College,  and  to  Vassar  College.  We  are  glad  to 
welcome  the  present  President,  Dr.  Taylor,  the  successor  to  the  Union 
President  of  Vassar  College. 


SPEECH   OF  JAMES   H.  TAYLOR, 

President  of  Vassar  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  :  As  befits,  I  suppose,  a  man  trained 
in  early  days  in  homiletics,  I  have  thought  of  an 
appropriate  text,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  my  mind  has 
just  lighted  upon  a  proper  one:  Last  of  all,  the  woman  ! 
[Laughter.]  It  was  ever  thus ;  at  least  since  that  one  oc- 
casion on  which  she  got  ahead  of  the  man  in  the  Garden 
of  Eden  ;  and  man  has  abundantly  rewarded  her  for  that 
one  forward  step. 

I  have  thought  as  I  have  sat  here,  expecting  to  be  called 
upon  in  due  time  to  bring  the  sympathies  of  educated 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  289 

women  as  a  greeting  to  Union, — I  have  thought  of  the 
fact  that  all  this  galaxy  of  colleges  rej^resented  here  to- 
day by  their  special  delegates  have  brought  the  greetings 
of  those  who  believe  in  the  education  of  American  man- 
hood ;  and  I  stand  alone  as  representing  the  colleges 
which  have  stood  from  beginning  to  end  for  the  educa- 
tion of  American  womanhood.  We  do  not  bring  our  greet- 
ings to  you,  Mr.  President,  in  any  apologetic  form  to-day. 
We  have  fought  our  battle  and  we  have  won  our  victory. 
The  colleges  which  are  represented  here  to-day  have  one 
after  another  followed  in  the  steps  of  that  victory ;  they 
are  opening  their  doors  to  women,  as  perhaps  Union 
will.  One  after  another  the  universities  are  opening  their 
higher  courses  to  women, —  the  universities  represented 
on  this  platform  to-day.  But  it  has  been  a  battle,  and 
many  of  you  who  are  gathered  here  to-day  have  seen 
that  battle  fought,  and  have  known  through  what  ignor- 
ance and  through  what  superstition  and  through  what 
opposition  of  all  sorts  these  colleges  for  women  have  at 
last  won  their  way  to  the  front,  and  deserve  to-day,  and 
receive,  the  respect  of  all  men  who  know  anything  of 
their  work  and  their  standards.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  all  this  opposition  has  passed  away.  I  do  not  mean 
to  say,  even  in  this  presence,  that  the  time  has  come 
when  it  is  not  still  necessary,  here  and  there,  to  defend 
the  cause  of  educated  womanhood.  It  seems  a  strange 
and  pathetic  thing,  when  you  think  of  it.  I  have  thought, 
as  I  have  heard  several  references  this  afternoon  to  the 
struggles  of  the  men  of  early  times  in  pursuit  of  an  edu- 
cation, of  those  women,  of  those  mothers,  who  were  behind 
those  struggles,  and  who  sacrificed  and  wrought,  as  their 
fathers  sacrificed  and  wrought,  that  their  sons  might  be 
graduates  of  Union  College  —  women  to  whom  the  mere 
common  right  of  an  education  was  denied,  and  denied  of- 
tentimes in  the  name  of  religion  itself.  It  is  well,  Mr. 
President,  that  we  have  passed  beyond  the  darkness  of 
19 


290  UNION    COLLEGE. 

those  days.  It  is  well  that  with  the  growth  of  this  century, 
with  its  close  for  Union  to-day,  we  can  say  that  we  stand 
to-day,  not  for  the  education  of  American  manhood,  not 
for  the  education  of  American  womanhood,  but  for  that 
which  is  beneath  and  above  them  both,  the  education  of 
human  personality,  the  right  of  every  soul  to  develop  itself 
and  its  powers  to  their  utmost.  As  Matthew  Vassar  said, 
he  found  that  the  Creator  seemed  to  have  endowed  women 
with  the  same  intellectual  attributes  with  which  he  had 
endowed  men,  and  he  did  not  see  why  she  had  not  the 
same  right  to  intellectual  improvement  and  cultivation. 
And  yet  the  world  at  large  has  not  yet  grasped  that  truth; 
and  in  a  large  proportion,  even  of  our  colleges  to-day, 
there  is  not  a  full  acceptance  of  all  that  that  means  to  the 
future  of  this  and  of  coming  generations. 

So  I  say,  Mr.  President,  that  in  bringing  to  you  the 
greetings,  as  I  think  I  may  to-day,  of  all  the  women's  col- 
leges, we  recognize  our  debt  to  Union.  We  bring  as 
those  who  are  laboring  with  you  in  the  same  work  and 
for  the  same  end — we  bring  our  greeting,  our  sympathy, 
and  our  hope  for  your  success.  And  as  I  think  of  the 
sainted  Raymond,  that  admirable  scholar,  that  man  of 
broad  culture,  that  executive  of  rare  ability  who  organ- 
ized Vassar  College,  I  can  only  hope  that  the  Raymond 
of  Union  may  have  vouchsafed  to  him  the  admiration 
and  the  praise  and  the  genuine  success  which  have  been 
accorded  to  the  Raymond  of  Union  and  of  Vassar. 
[Applause.] 

Mr.  President,  it  is  too  late  an  hour  for  me  to  say  more 
than  this  word  of  greeting.  Not  on  behalf  of  the  college 
which  I  represent  alone,  but  on  behalf  of  that  small  com- 
pany of  women's  colleges,  well  endowed,  as  American 
colleges  go,  well  officered,  progressive  in  their  aims,  high 
in  their  standards,  and  successful  in  their  attainments, 
I  bring  to  you — I  have  been  wondering  how  I  should  ad- 
dress you,  as  I  heard  one  and  another  speak,  and  refer  to 


CENTENNIAL   BANQUET.  291 

our  sister  colleges — I  bring  to  you  as  our  older  brother  the 
greeting  of  the  women's  colleges.     [Applause.] 

[Before  the  conclusion  of  tlie  Centennial  B;uu(uet  the  Ivy  Exercises  had 
begun  at  the  "Old  Elm"  in  the  college  garden  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Class  of  1895.  At  5  p.  m.  a  delightful  reception  was  giveu  by  President  and 
Mrs.  Raymond  at  the  President's  residence.  ] 


EVENING  SESSION, 
Coninimiorativjc  ^tbtirc.s.scs  anb  Ccntcnniai  Jpocni. 

Rev.  Charles  D.  Nott,  D.  D.,  of  the  Class  of  1854, 

presiding. 

Dr.  Nott  in  opening  the  exercises  of  the  evening  spoke 
as  follows : 

THE  Autocrat  tells  us  that  the  wonderful  one-horse 
shay  went  all  to  pieces  —  dust  to  dust  —  on  its  hun- 
dredth day.  And  so  it  seems  with  most  things  earthly  — 
the  older  they  grow  the  weaker  they  become.  There  must 
be,  however,  according  to  the  law,  exceptions  to  prove 
the  rule.  And  all  her  sons  rejoice  to-day  to  believe  that 
dear  old  Union  is  one  of  those  exceptions  to  this  rule  of 
decadence. 

Though  her  walls  grow  gray  our  alma  mater  appears 
to  have  drunk  from  the  "  brook  that  bounds  through 
Union's  grounds"  —  whose  source  is  the  fabled  fountain 
of  perpetual  youth ;  and  the  years  of  her  century,  instead 
of  marking  her  decadence,  have  but  enabled  her  to  swing 
toward  her  prime  —  which  still  lies  somewhere  on  in  the 
years  to  come. 

If  the  Autocrat  knew  of  but  two  things  that  keep  their 
youth  —  a  tree  and  truth  —  we  have  learned  of  a  third, 
Union  College,  and  we,  her  living  sons,  surround  her  to- 

]^9*  293 


294  UNION    COLLEGE. 

day,  thankful  for  her  excellent  health,  for  her  comfort- 
able circumstances  and  proud  of  her  looks,  modestly  hop- 
ing that  her  sons  in  the  future  will  be  as  beautiful  and 
altogether  lovely  boys  as  are  we  who  now  gather  about 
her  on  this,  the  day  of  her  hundredth  year. 

Colleges,  like  the  men  who  make  them,  or  the  men  they 
make,  have  their  days  of  trial.  Old  Union  is  no  excep- 
tion to  this  rule.  She  has  had  her  periods  of  storm  and 
stress,  yet,  like  Antaeus,  she  never  touched  the  earth 
but  to  renew  her  strength.  And  now,  on  the  threshold 
of  her  second  century,  they  who  know  her  and  are  best 
qualified  to  speak,  affirm  that  at  no  period  of  her  history 
has  her  condition  been  more  sound  than  at  the  present. 
Fortunate  in  her  condition,  fortunate  in  her  new  presi- 
dent, fortunate  in  public  esteem,  and  in  the  number  and 
character  of  her  students,  her  future  is  as  bright  with 
promise  as  her  past  is  glorious. 

In  her  sympathies  Union  College  is  neither  sectarian 
nor  sectional.  She  owes  allegiance  to  no  denomination, 
and  she  is  as  proud  of  her  sons  in  South  Carolina  as  of 
those  in  Massachusetts.  Neither  was  Union  College  in 
the  past,  nor  is  she  in  the  present,  private  family  prop- 
erty. The  old  regime  of  her  great  president  did  its  work 
and  passed  away. 

A  new  order  of  things  has  arisen  with  a  new  century, 
and  I  —  almost  the  last  of  the  Mohicans  and  representing 
much  of  what  is  left  of  the  tribe  —  stat  magni  noinims 
umhra  —  acknowledge  no  alumnus  more  loyal  to  Union 
College  and  her  best  interests  than  I  am.  So  then,  with 
love  and  hope,  we  bid  our  alma  mater  Godspeed  as  she 
passes  into  her  second  century. 

The  laws  of  a  State  are  supposed  to  be  for  the  good  of 
the  people  and  yet  are  not  always  so;  for  by  a  well- 
known  law,  the  people  of  this  State  are  deprived  of  the 
services  of  the  most  eminent  judges  just  at  the  time 
when,  from  ripest  experience,  their  powers  are  at  their 


ADDRESS.  295 

best.  A  man  who  for  fourteeu  years  held  the  position  of 
a  Judge  of  tlie  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  a  station  than  which  none  is  more  honored  among 
us,  and  who  won  the  highest  honors  for  sound  judgment 
and  profound  learning,  is  a  student  and  an  alumnus  of 
whom  any  institution  may  well  be  proud ;  and  it  affords 
me  great  pleasure  to  present  to  you  to-night  such  an 
alumnus  of  Union  College  in  the  person  of  Judge 
Danforth.     [Applause.] 


ADDRESS 

BY  HON.  GEORGE  F.  DANFORTH,  LL.  D. 

Of  the  Class  of  1840, 

subject:  eliphalet  nott. 

MR.  PRESIDENT:  I  should  feel  under  very  great 
embarrassment  in  addressing  this  assembly,  if  I  had 
not  reason  to  suppose  that  the  felicity  of  the  occasion  and 
subject  upon  which  our  addresses  are  to  be  made  would 
so  interest  an  audience  in  this  city  that  any  shortcom- 
ings on  the  part  of  the  speaker  would  be  excused.  For 
that  reason,  and  for  that  reason  alone,  I  venture  to  run 
the  risk  of  criticism  and  to  travel  over  ground  which  may 
be  said  to  be  already  well  trodden.  Indeed  the  events  of 
to-day  and  yesterday  show  that  the  topics  upon  which  I 
am  to  address  you  have  already  been  brought  to  your  at- 
tention and  my  only  hope  is  that  I  shall  neither  weaken 
nor  mitigate  the  effect  of  that  which  has  already  been  so 
well  said. 

Esteem  and  honor  have  to-day  been  given  in  large  mea- 
sure to  our  college :  the  Regents  of  the  University  which 
wrote  its  charter  have  by  its  Chancellor  rehearsed  our 
obedience  to  its  injunctions,  representatives  of  other 
institutions  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to  our  ex- 
ample, and  all  have  found  reason  to  congratulate  us  upon 
the  consequence  of  this  occasion.  They  have,  in  earnest 
and  glowing  words  of  estimation,  anticipated  the  tribute 


ADDRESS.  297 

WO  would  j)ay  to  biin  whose  whole  life  was  devoted  to 
the  creation,  growth,  and  reputation  of  Union  College. 

At  the  risk,  therefore,  of  being  censured  for  traveling 
again  over  ground  already  well  trodden,  I  propose  to  take 
advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  recall  some  of  the  rea- 
sons for  a  student's  gratitude  to  his  alma  mater  for  bene- 
fits received,  and  his  reverence  for  the  man  whose  wise 
and  efficient  guidance  made  those  benefits  possible. 

Through  a  hapi:)y  coincidence  of  the  year  with  the  day, — 
by  the  several  acts  of  celebration  which  at  this  season 
engage  our  attention,  and  of  which  this  public  demon- 
stration is  one, —  we  solemnize  at  once  the  first  full  cen- 
tenary of  years  from  the  foundation  of  the  college,  and, 
on  this  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-second  anniversary 
of  the  day  of  his  birth,  preserve  the  memory  and  com- 
memorate the  services  of  one  who  was  not  only  so  gifted 
by  nature  as  to  be  capable  of  shaping  Union  College,  but, 
by  length  of  life,  of  leaving  it  the  noblest  example  of  suc- 
cessful administration  which  academic  or  collegiate  his- 
tory affords. 

It  is  well  and  seemly  that  we  do  so ;  for  in  the  long 
catalogue  of  those  concerning  whom  some  information 
might  reasonably  be  sought,  we  find  the  name  of  Eliphalet 
Nott  and  his  stewardship  outlined  in  the  latest  encyclo- 
pedia of  names,  that  of  1894,  in  lines  fewer  than  the  fin- 
gers of  the  hand  which  turns  the  page  on  which  it  stands. 

We  there  learn  that  he  was  an  "  American  educator, — 
President  of  Union  College,"  and  so  far  as  I  can  find,  the 
college  itself  is  not  otherwise  mentioned  than  as  his  arena^ 
his  field  of  operation. 

The  record  is  brief ;  but  on  this  day,  and  here,  in  the 
midst  of  the  traditions  of  this  city,  where  for  more  than 
half  a  century  he  served  the  college  and  every  interest 
of  education,  it  means  much. 

He  was  not  merely  an  instructor,  confined  to  the  books; 
he  was  not  an  author ;  he  did  not  compose  treatises ;  lie 


298  UNION    COLLEGE. 

was  an  educator  standing  for  ideals,  in  politics,  in  religion, 
in  all  things  which  concerned  men.  Though  by  profes- 
sion a  clergyman  and  devoted  to  his  calling,  he  was  an 
exception  to  the  criticism  that  "clergymen  understand 
the  least  and  take  the  worst  measure  of  human  affairs  of 
all  mankind  that  can  write  and  read."  In  his  lecture- 
room  the  two  functions  were  as  parts  to  the  whole.  He 
there  inculcated  high  aims,  and  when  he  died  left  a 
marked  imj)ress  upon  the  times. 

"It  has  been," he  says,  " my  endeavor  since  I  have  had 
the  care  of  youth  to  make  men,  rather  than  great  scholars." 

To  his  class  he  said :  "  The  folly  of  most  people  is  they 
read  too  much.  You  should  read  but  little  yet  analyze 
each  book  carefully.     Be  persuaded  to  think." 

He  did  not  wait  for  the  farewell  sermon  to  deliver  his 
advice  and  warnings  and  encouragements  to  the  gradu- 
ating class.  He  met  it  at  the  door  of  the  class-room  and 
admonished  its  members :  "  You  are  approaching,"  he 
says,  "  that  period  when  you  must  enter  upon  the  great 
world,  and  if  you  would  ever  be  men  you  must  learn  to 
be  so  now."  He  believed  that  a  man  got  on  better  with  a 
purpose  and  a  plan,  that  transition  merely  is  not  progress. 
"  As  you  pass  this  year,"  he  said  to  the  incoming  seniors, 
"  so  you  will  probably  pass  your  lives.  Search  your  own 
minds,  turn  your  thoughts  upon  some  design,  or  course 
of  life,  that  will  entertain  you  with  hopes ;  mark  out  a 
laudable  course  of  conduct,  so  will  you  go  through  life 
acquiring  power  and  influence  over  men." 

"Don't  think  too  much  of  the  slate  and  pencil,  but 
think  a  great  deal  of  the  sum  you  are  to  work  out." 

But  there  was  not  much  figurative  language.  He  spoke 
plainly :  "  If  you  spend  this  year  in  iudolence,  and  stoop  to 
little,  mean,  and  dirty  conduct,  it  is  likely  you  will  con- 
tinue dirty,  mean,  and  little  while  you  live." 

His  great  object  seemed  to  be  the  inculcation  of  such 
precepts  as  would  induce  in  the  students  independence 


ADDRESS.  299 

of  thought,  fitness  for  action,  and  both  encouraged  by 
tlio  assurance  that  the  prizes  of  life  would  fall  into  the 
hand  of  him  who  sfroir  eanwstli/  after  being  (inalificd  to 
receive  them.  Nor  were  these  precepts  left  framed  into 
general  language  alone.  They  were  more  than  outlines. 
He  called  the  attention  of  his  pupils  to  posts  of  political, 
professional,  and  business  importance,  pointed  out  the 
one  undisputed  truth  yet  agreed  on  —  that  whoever  lives 
must  die ;  that  time  was  running  against  the  occupant  of 
these  positions  and  in  favor  of  the  young  man,  pursuing 
the  one  to  his  departure  and  helping  the  other  to  the 
goal;  that  in  the  nature  of  things  the  pulpit  becoming 
vacant  must  be  filled;  that  justice  must  have  its  ser- 
vants, public  offices  be  cared  for ;  that  however  good  and 
excellent  the  constitution  of  government,  none  could  pro- 
vide that  magistrates  or  officers  necessary  to  support  it, 
however  in  themselves  good  and  wise,  should  continue; 
and  that  when  they  departed  they  would  leave  the  world 
much  as  they  found  it ;  that  honors,  fortunes,  places,  and 
employments  were  yet  to  be  had, —  not  by  all  because 
these  objects  were  fewer  in  number  than  those  seeking 
them,  but  l^y  those  who  by  preparation  were  best  fitted 
for  service.  He  agreed  with  Sir  William  Temple  who 
had  found  "  no  talent  of  so  much  advantage  among  men 
towards  their  growing  great,  or  rich,  as  a  violent  and 
restless  passion  and  pursuit  for  one  or  the  other,"  and  was 
of  his  opinion,  "  that  whosoever  sets  his  heart  and  thoughts 
wholly  ui:)on  some  one  thing  must  have  very  little  wit  or 
very  little  luck  to  fail." 

He  insisted  that  thought  was  the  cause  of  any  idtimate 
success.  His  one  great  object,  therefore,  was  to  make  his 
pupils  think :  "  ^\'liat  use  is  it,"  he  asks,  "  that  some  one 
else  has  thought  or  written  and  you  have  read  his  work 
without  thinking!  The  time  you  have  thus  spent  is 
almost  wholly  lost." 

He  instructed  his  classes  less  in  the  theory  than  in  the 


300  UNION    COLLEGE. 

practice  of  philosophy ;  taught  them  how  to  regulate  the 
operations  of  their  own  minds  and  influence  the  minds  of 
others ;  that  "of  all  sorts  of  instruction,  the  best  is  gained 
from  our  own  thoughts  as  well  as  from  experience,  for 
though  a  man  may  grow  learned  by  another  man's 
thoughts,  yet  he  will  grow  wise  and  happy  only  by  his 
own ;  that  the  proper  use  of  other  men's  thoughts  toward 
those  ends  is  but  to  serve  for  one's  own  reflections." 
Such,  we  are  assured,  was  his  own  habit.  Doctor  Way- 
land,  at  one  time  his  pupil,  and  afterwards  his  associate, 
says  of  Doctor  Nott :  "  Nothing  in  books  seemed  to  him 
of  any  value  unless  he  had  thought  it  through  and  tested 
it  by  his  own  power  of  intellectual  analysis."  Thus  his 
system  was  to  develop,  not  to  cram. 

Addressing  the  senior  class,  after  referring  to  the  stud- 
ies which  had  occupied  them  in  other  classes,  he  says : 
"Now  you  come  to  inquire  into  the  principles  of  the 
mind,  the  causes  of  the  emotions  you  have  seen  in  it  and 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  moved ;  this  you  cannot  learn 
without  much  reflection." 

In  dealing  with  the  individual,  or  with  the  class,  the 
obtaining  a  diploma,  or  an  apparent  fullness  of  knowledge 
without  nourishment  to  the  mind,  was  not  at  all  the  ob- 
ject of  the  teacher.  His  avowed  purpose,  declared  in  the 
lecture-room,  and  condensed  and  reiterated  in  the  most 
serious  and  impressive  manner  to  each  class  as  its  mem- 
bers were  about  to  separate,  was  to  give  the  mind,  the 
spirit,  and  the  moral  nature  of  each  one  of  them  that  in- 
spiration which  should  enable  him  when  he  came  into 
the  stress  of  life  to  show  that  he  was  competent  to  do  the 
work  that  he  was  sent  to  do.  In  fine,  to  him  the  student 
was  not  a  child  or  mere  pupil,  but  a  son.  On  every  suit- 
able occasion  he  urged  upon  him  the  adherence  to  moral 
principle  and  the  necessity  of  religion  in  order  to  true 
success  in  the  life  that  now  is  as  well  as  in  the  life  which 
is  to  come. 

At  recitations,  the  exercises  in  his  lecture-room  were 


ADDRESS.  301 

brief;  the  subject  in  hand  was  discussed  and  examined, 
his  own  views  presented,  showing  the  consequences  which 
floAved  from  the  truth  enunciated,  and  appUed  it  to  the 
various  forms  of  individual,  social  and  political  life.  He 
dwelt  much  upon  the  difference  between  character  and 
reputation:  what  men  think  yon  to  be;  what  you  really 
are.  The  ingenuous  student  carried  away  with  him  these 
lessons,  and  felt  that  gratitude  which  "  every  man  feels 
to  him  who  speaks  well  for  the  right,  who  translates  truth 
into  language  entirely  plain  and  clear." 

Concerning  oratory  he  had  much  to  say.  His  views 
were  instructive,  not  philosophical.  He  said  to  his  class : 
"  This  man  and  the  other  man  may  tell  you,  you  ought  to 
speak  so  and  so,  but  I  never  found  any  one  whose  teach- 
ings profited.  Eloquence  is  purely  natural :  when  excite- 
ment or  feeling  exists,  in  all  nations  and  in  all  languages, 
you  will  find  all  eloquent  from  the  little  child  to  the  de- 
crepit old  man." 

Of  books  I  think  Dr.  Nott  talked  little.  He  said:  "  Taci- 
tus is  good ;  Shakspere  is  beyond  all ;  the  Bible  is  the 
only  book  that  I  never  found  wrong.  Its  accounts  of 
human  nature  are  all  true,  according  perfectly  with  the 
principles  of  Philosophy,  though  never  treating  of  it." 

He  impressed  his  classes  with  the  idea  that  every  man 
can  be  really  great  if  he  will  trust  his  own  high  instinct, 
think  his  own  thought,  and  say  his  own  Avord. 

He  spoke  of  a  preceding  class  as  "  having  maintained 
dignity  and  an  excellent  character  through  their  college 
course,"  and  added,  "Although  they  were  in  no  wise  re- 
markable for  their  talents,  yet  some  of  them  will  be  great 
and  have  no  small  influence,  and  this  in  consequence  of 
the  manner  in  which  they  spent  their  senior  year." 

He  was  careful  concerning  the  health  of  the  students, 
bodily  as  well  as  mental :  as  they  did  not  live  according 
to  natui'e,  they  must  consult  reason,  and  of  course  adapt 
their  diet  and  all  their  habits  to  their  sedentary  life. 

Students  are  easily  moved  to  laughter  by  jokes  and 


302  UNION    COLLEGE. 

witticisms  of  the  teacher,  and  occasion  was  sometimes 
had  before  Dr.  Nott,  who  himself  thought  well  of  laughter, 
declaring  it  to  be,  as  I  have  been  told,  "the  final  cause  of 
health";  but  I  fancy  he  rarely  laughed  himself  —  cer- 
tainly not  in  the  presence  of  his  class.  The  Methodists, 
he  said,  lived  not  so  long  as  other  denominations;  first 
because  of  excessive  preaching;  second,  not  enough 
laughter. 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  little  sentences  and  the  brief, 
unconnected  members  or  paragraphs  of  instruction  which 
I  have  reproduced,  can  convey  a  very  faint,  if  any,  im- 
pression of  the  method  of  Doctor  Nott  in  the  class-room. 

However  it  might  be  at  the  beginning,  before  the  nov- 
elty of  the  situation  had  been  worn  away  by  the  student's 
interest  and  curiosity  in  the  manner  of  this  new  teacher, 
before  he  had  sat  at  his  feet  many  days  there  was  an  in- 
terchange of  minds  between  teacher  and  pupil.  The  prob- 
ing question  of  the  master  was  addressed  to  the  pupil, 
for  the  ascertainment  not  so  much  of  his  knowledge  as 
his  capacity.  The  discoveries  thus  made  were  applied  to 
useful  ends  —  perhaps  in  the  recitation  room,  perhaps  in 
the  students'  dormitory,  possibly,  though  after  other  ven- 
tures, in  the  Doctor's  office.  But  whether  on  the  side- 
walk, in  room,  or  office,  the  whole  course  of  instruction 
tended  to  one  single  result :  preparation  for  the  duties  of 
practical  life ;  encouragement  for  a  bold,  earnest,  uncom- 
promising entrance  upon  it.  Theory  without  facts  pal- 
pable and  known  was  evidently  a  pastime,  and  wholly 
foreign  to  the  purpose  of  the  teacher;  while  practice 
without  a  knowledge  of  principle's  was  a  blind  mechan- 
ism for  which  he  had  no  use.  I  do  not  know  that  Doctor 
Nott  put  in  writing  his  instructions, —  perhaps  in  later 
years  a  synopsis, —  but  in  some  way  or  other,  apparently 
without  interference  or  aid  from  the  author,  several  of 
his  discourses,  under  the  title  of  "Counsels  to  Young 
Men,"  were  put  in  print  —  among  the  number,  the  sub- 


ADDRESS.  303 

stance,  apparently,  of  several  baccalaureate  addresses. 
In  these,  moral  precepts  are  not  lacking;  reliance  upon 
God  and  his  holy  word  enforced,  but  there  was  impressed 
upon  the  young  man  that,  these  observed,  submission  to 
the  impulse  acquired  in  college  would  ensure  after  suc- 
cess even  in  the  most  worldly  view  of  life. 

It  has  been  said  that  "  there  is  an  American  disease,  a 
paralysis  of  the  active  faculties,  which  falls  on  young 
men  of  this  country  as  soon  as  they  have  finished  their 
college  education,  which  strips  them  of  all  manly  aims 
and  bereaves  them  of  animal  spirits ;  so  that  the  noblest 
youths  are  in  a  short  time  converted  into  pale  caryatides 
to  uphold  the  temple  of  conventions,"  despairing  to  find 
other  employments,  or  at  least  such  as  will  satisfy  them. 
There  was  small  reason  for  this  disorder  in  the  mind  of 
Dr.  Nott's  pupils.  If  the  disciple  had  learned  anything,  it 
was  that  the  value  of  college  education  is  not  in  itself 
but  in  what  it  leads  to.  He  had  been  taught  to  do  his 
best,  to  trust  his  own  convictions,  exercise  mental  inde- 
pendence, rely  on  personal  responsibility  and  effort. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  there  is  diffidence  and  timid- 
ity. The  master  reads  the  heart  of  the  student  and  trans- 
lates it:  "As  you  approach  the  world,"  he  says,  "every 
place  of  honor,  of  confidence,  of  profit,  appears  preoc- 
cupied; there  seems  to  be  no  room  for  action.  .  .  .  Be- 
lieve me,"  he  continues,  "  it  is  a  deceptive  view  that  you 
are  taking.  If  all  those  places  of  honor,  of  profit,  of  con- 
fidence, are  not  already  vacant,  it  is  precisely  the  same 
to  you  as  if  they  were  so.  Death  and  age  are  vacating, 
and  will  vacate  them  in  time  for  you  to  occupy.  ...  And 
all  that  intelligence  and  virtue,  that  active  and  successful 
talent  which  adorns  the  age,  will  disappear,  and  its  hon- 
ored possessors,  conducted  in  succession  to  their  graves, 
will  molder  amid  sepulchral  ashes,  forgotten,  or  remem- 
bered only  by  the  monuments  of  glory  they  shall  have 
during  their  transitory  life  erected.     As  you  advance," 


304  UNION    COLLEGE. 

he  says,  "  the  stage  will  clear  before  you,  and  all  the  hon- 
ors of  state,  church,  the  world,  will  be  committed  to  you." 
He  paints,  in  his  address,  with  glowing  colors  the  pos- 
sibilities of  life  and  asks:  "Are  you  willing  merely  to 
grovel  through  life ;  to  creep  away  like  unfledged  reptiles 
from  their  cells,  and,  buried  in  obscurity,  pass  your  fu- 
ture years  in  inglorious  sloth  till  finally,  mere  excres- 
ences,  you  perish  unnoticed  and  unlamented?"  Then 
going  from  selfish  considerations  to  wider  fields  of  use- 
fulness :  "  You  ask,"  he  says,  "  what  can  a  mere  individ- 
ual hope  to  accomplish  ?  What !"  he  exclaims.  "  Almost 
any  thing  he  wills  to  undertake  and  dares  to  persevere 
in.  Each  of  you  possesses  a  capacity  for  doing  either 
good  or  evil  which  human  foresight  cannot  measure  nor 
human  power  limit."  He  invoked  as  illustrations  the 
names  of  men  who  had  formed  a  place  for  themselves  in 
the  world's  history,  and  whose  thoughts  had  become  em- 
bodied in  material  results:  as  Cyrus  at  Babylon,  Cfesar 
at  Rome,  Constantine  at  Byzantium,  Howard  in  philan- 
thropy. Sharp,  Glarkson,  and  Lancaster,  who  had  then 
recently,  with  very  scanty  material  appliances,  introduced 
a  new  era  in  the  history  of  letters,  and,  he  said,  "  rendered 
the  houses  of  education  like  the  temples  of  grace,  accessi- 
ble to  the  poor."  He  was  himself  of  great  enthusiasm,  with 
abounding  love  and  interest  in  young  men,  and  gifted 
with  great  ingenuity  in  devising  plans  both  for  teaching 
and  governing;  the  enthusiasm  he  felt  he  communicated 
to  the  young  people  of  whom  he  took  charge.  They  sub- 
mitted to  its  influence.  In  the  line  of  his  instruction  was 
the  declaration,  made  in  their  presence  as  part  of  his  final 
blessing :  "  Though  I  were  to  exist  no  longer  than  those 
ephemera  that  sport  in  the  beams  of  a  summer  morning, 
during  that  short  hour  I  would  rather  soar  with  the  eagle 
and  leave  the  record  of  my  flight,  and  of  my  fall,  among 
the  stars,  than  creep  the  gutter  with  the  reptile,  and  hide 
my  memory   and  my  body  together  in   the   dunghill." 


ADDKESS.  305 

He  proceeds  to  show,  however,  that  althoiigli  man  is  im- 
mortal, yet  "  upon  this  little  ball  and  during  this  momen- 
tary life  eternity  is  staked  ;  that  liell  is  merited  or  heaven 
won ;  and  this,"  he  says,  "  is  not  conjectural,  nor  is  it 
merely  probable,  But  certain,  infallibly  certain."  Indeed, 
in  his  addresses  to  the  members  of  the  college,  whether 
on  the  last  day  or  the  commencement  of  a  term,  in  chapel 
or  church  or  lecture-room,  he  spake  to  them  as  persons 
not  only  possessed  of  intellect,  capable  of  thought  and 
affections,  but  as  requiring  motive  for  action,  and  sought 
to  build  up  in  them  a  strength  of  moral  purpose,  to  be 
directed  to  self-imiDrovement.  He  taught  that  the  human 
spirit  owed  its  emancipation  and  its  progress  to  the  be- 
lief that  it  is  connected  by  an  actual  bond  with  its  Crea- 
tor ;  and  on  all  these  subjects  his  views  were  presented 
with  earnestness  and  affection,  as  from  a  heart  warmed 
with  the  subject.  He  sought  in  all  ways  and  at  all  times 
to  make  his  pupils  think  of  their  own  characters  and 
future  conditions. 

I  conceive  that  in  nothing  I  have  said  can  cause  be 
found  for  the  great  traditionary  reputation  which  has 
come  to  us  concerning  Dr.  Nott.  Let  me  go  further  and, 
with  short  detail,  call  to  mind  some  of  the  more  tangible 
acts  which  furnish  a  larger  justification. 

Following  learned  and  expert  officials,  he  entered  upon 
the  presidency  of  Union  College  at  the  age  of  thirty-one 
years ;  in  the  order  of  his  coming  being  its  fourth  presi- 
dent. He  found  the  names  of  few  students  upon  the 
catalogue,  and  a  short  curriculum.  At  once  the  number 
of  students  increased,  the  lines  of  study  were  enlarged, 
with  each  graduating  class  his  fame  spread  abroad,  and 
soon  there  came,  from  different  parts  of  the  country,  many 
students.  From  private  and  public  sources  the  treasury 
of  the  college  was  enriched.  The  State  became  and  con- 
tinued to  be  its  patron.  He  remained  in  office  until  Janu- 
ary 29,  18G6,  when,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three,  and  after 
20 


306  UNION    COLLEGE. 

an  official  life  of  sixty-two  years,  lie  died.  At  that  event 
misfortune  seemed  to  assail  the  college.  It  had  the  usual 
complement  of  officers  and  faculty,  and  from  time  to  time 
a  president,  one  succeeding  another,  little  space  inter- 
vening, and  the  college,  in  its  uncertainty  of  leadership, 
became  like  a  ship  tossed  by  a  tempest  and  left  at  the 
mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves.  In  1890  its  alumni  felt 
moved  to  make,  if  possible,  some  provision  against  what 
appeared  to  be  a  fatal  emergency.  There  was  at  once  a 
revival  of  interest;  meetings  of  the  graduates  were 
called ;  they  were  held  in  many  of  the  principal  cities  of 
this  State.  To  that  of  New  York  City  there  came  crowds 
of  alumni,  representatives  of  classes  covering  many  years, 
and  able,  as  by  a  composite  picture,  to  clothe  their  teacher 
with  a  personality  almost  adequate,  even  in  the  eyes  of 
those  who  had  never  seen  or  had  personal  knowledge  of 
Doctor  Nott,  to  account  for  the  representation  which  for 
so  many  years  had  made  that  name  famous. 

I  draw  from  that  picture  as  from  one  taken  as  it  were 
in  the  very  presence  of  the  subject,  and  so  fill  up  the 
narrow  outline  I  have  tried  to  sketch.  On  that  occasion 
the  hearts  of  the  audience  were  full  and  turned  to  the 
memory  of  the  master.  Among  them  were  honor-bearers 
of  distinction  in  the  State  and  in  the  nation,  eminent 
physicians,  men  from  the  pulpit,  the  bar,  teachers,  repre- 
sentatives, men  from  various  classes  of  the  many  whom 
he  had  taught.  The  speakers  on  that  occasion  testified 
concerning  him,  and,  as  by  general  consent,  every  demon- 
stration of  affection  was  echoed  by  the  audience ;  every 
mention  of  his  name  was  followed  by  applause.  "Ah  ! " 
said  one  speaker,  himself  famous  in  a  neighboring  State 
as  a  leader  among  men,  "  Ah  !  brothers,  we  owe  his  name 
this  applause ;  but  we  give  him  also  the  silent,  grateful 
homage  of  our  hearts.  If  yonder  door  should  open,  and 
we  could  see  entering  there  that  majestic  presence,  that 
form  of  manly  beauty,  with  what  electric  enthusiasm 


ADDEESS.  307 

should  we  rise  to  greet  liim  and  condiK't  him  to  the  seat 
of  honor."  Said  another  speaker,  then  a  Bishop  of  the 
Church :  "  How  eloquent  ho  was ;  how  skilful,  how  wise, 
how  gentle,  how  loving  in  the  management  of  young  men. 
I  have  heard,"  he  continued,  "I  have  heard  a  great  many 
men  preach,  but  such  power  as  Dr.  Nott  displayed  in  the 
pulpit,  in  his  lectures,  in  the  chapel,  and  in  his  instruc- 
tions in  the  class  —  such  power  to  move  the  conscience, 
to  touch  the  heart,  to  arouse  the  loftiest  aspirations  of 
tlie  human  mind,  I  have  never  heard  excelled." 

80  it  continued ;  one  after  another  of  his  sons  declar- 
ing, "  We,  all  of  us,  owe  all  we  are,  all  we  have  been,  and 
all  we  can  hope  to  be,  to  our  loved  and  loving  master." 
The  fact  that  twenty-four  years  had  passed  since  his  death 
was  unnoticed ;  the  inspiration  of  his  teachings  was  so 
felt  that  the  feelings,  thoughts,  desires,  and  memories  it 
excited  appeared  possible  only  with  the  outward  continu- 
ity of  life.  The  room  seemed  full  of  expectation,  as  if  the 
subject  of  eulogy  and  extollation  had  only  delayed  his 
coming. 

Such  are  some  of  the  testimonies  to  his  manifest  use- 
fulness ;  the  gratitude  which  he  earned,  the  obligations 
which  he  conferred,  and  the  value  of  his  labor  as  the  sub- 
stantial founder  of  Union  College,  the  creator  of  its 
prestige  and  its  power. 

Let  me  touch  upon  one  other  inquiry  quite  pertinent  to 
our  subject.  How  was  the  greatness  of  Dr.  Nott  achieved  ? 
What  warrant  was  there  for  the  lofty  estimate  put  upon 
his  life  and  labors  by  his  contemporaries  ? 

It  is  not  easy  to  get  at  the  inner  life  of  any  man  so  as 
to  rate  him  at  his  real  value,  but  to  do  so  in  any  degree 
we  are  usually  compelled  to  examine  his  origin,  the  social 
influences  to  which  he  was  subjected,  the  effects  of  edu- 
cation and  the  general  conditions  by  which  at  the  early 
periods  of  life  he  was  surrounded.  Such  inquiries  bring 
little  aid  on  this  occasion. 


308  UNION    COLLEGE. 

The  saying  Nemo  nasciter  artife.r,  if  ever  true,  has  no 
application  to  Eliphalet  Nott.  He  at  the  first  opportunity 
exhibited  skill  and  ability  of  the  most  practical  kind.  He 
did  not  acquire  it  by  education  as  that  word  is  usually  in- 
terpreted, or  by  training, — he  was  no  apprentice, —  or  from 
example,  for  in  whatever  he  undertook  he  went  to  it  as 
a  pioneer ;  power  and  facility  were  born  hi  him.  He  was 
a  preacher,  but  his  fame  as  such  began  with  the  delivery 
of  his  first  sermon,  and  was  so  enlarged  and  magnified  as 
to  make  his  ministrations  desirable  in  the  widest  field 
and  in  the  most  influential  and  devout  churches.  Guided 
by  no  formulated  rules  of  rhetoric,  or  lessons  from  the 
schools,  he  so  improved  the  occasion  of  a  conspicuous 
violation  of  the  law  of  God  and  man,  that  his  discourse 
and  elegy  on  the  death  of  Hamilton  placed  him  in  the 
front  rank  of  orators,  in  the  very  place  where  Hamilton 
himself  had  stood.  His  style  was  equally  distinguished  for 
fluency  and  vigor.  Without  academic  education  himself, 
without  useful  experience,  ignorant  of  the  philosophy  of 
the  schools,  uninstructed  even  in  the  terms  and  verbiage 
of  the  books,  he  left  the  ministry  at  Albany  to  become 
president  of  the  college.  His  predecessors.  Smith,  Ed- 
wards, Maxey,  had  passed  through  the  academy  and  col- 
lege. They  possessed  the  learning  of  the  schools ;  he  had 
a  college  honor  but  no  college  career;  yet,  during  his 
official  life,  he  received  as  candidates  for  a  degree  imply- 
ing culture  in  the  arts  and  sciences  thousands  of  students, 
who  had  from  him  such  advice  and  direction  as  promoted 
their  success  in  life  and  made  them  not  only  his  disciples, 
but,  as  we  have  seen,  his  lovers  also.  The  college  was 
poor;  he  invoked  for  it,  through  the  State,  large  bene- 
factions. He  was  poor  himself,  but  by  his  astuteness  in 
business,  and  his  discoveries  and  scientific  inventions, 
he  was  able  to  acquire  such  fortune  as  by  his  gifts  en- 
riched the  institution. 

He  wrote  but  little,  was  averse  to  correspondence,  put, 


ADDRESS.  309 

SO  far  as  the  public  were  enabled  to  know,  few  thoughts 
on  paper,  left  no  autobiography,  not  much  material  for 
the  writing  of  a  biography  by  any  person,  except  as  it 
might  be  gathered  from  his  conduct  from  youth  up. 

Indeed,  he  must  be  judged  by  the  acts  which  he  origi- 
nated, by  what  he  did.  Tn  his  youth  there  were  no  strik- 
ing incidents  which  distinguished  his  life  from  that  of 
other  New  England  boys.  There  was  poverty;  there  was 
a  pious,  wise,  affectionate  mother.  Save  these  aids,  the 
processes  by  which  he  became  what  he  was  were  inward; 
the  action  of  a  superior  mind  quite  independent  of  out- 
ward advantages.  He  was  a  singular  and  an  original 
person.  His  life  and  its  achievements,  as  it  seems  to  me, 
illustrate  the  observation  of  Dr.  Channing,  that  "  Whilst 
the  Supreme  Being  encourages  liberally  the  labors  of  ed- 
ucation by  connecting  them  with  many  good  and  almost 
sure  results,  still,  as  if  to  magnify  his  own  power  and  to 
teach  men  humility  and  dependence,  he  often  produces 
with  few  or  no  means  a  strength  of  intellect  and  prin- 
ciple, a  grace  and  dignity  of  character,  which  the  most 
anxious  human  culture  cannot  confej'." 

The  little  we  know  of  his  lectures  excites  a  desire  for 
more.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  if  at  this  day  they  would 
satisfy  our  expectations, —  without  his  voice,  his  earnest- 
ness, his  idea  freshly  suggested, —  they  would  lack  the 
persuasive  power  of  the  spoken  word.  So  accompanied, 
his  instructions  formed  an  era  in  college  life.  They  were 
not  put  in  writing.  In  this  respect  he  resembled  Lycur- 
gus,  of  whom  it  is  said:  "He  left  none  of  his  laws  in 
writing  ....  for  what  he  thought  most  conducive  to  the 
virtue  and  happiness  of  a  State  were  principles,  inter- 
woven with  the  manners  and  breeding  of  the  people." 

These  would,  in   his   opinion,  remain   immovable   as 
fou!ided  in  inclination,  and  be  the  strongest  and  most 
lasting  tie,  and  the  habits  produced  in  the  youth  would 
answer  in  each  the  purpose  of  a  law-giver. 
20* 


310  UNION    COLLEGE. 

As  for  smaller  matters,  and  whatever  occasionally  var- 
ied, it  was  better,  he  thought,  not  to  reduce  these  to  a 
written  form  and  method,  but  to  suffer  them  to  change 
with  the  times  and  to  admit  of  additions  and  retrench- 
ments at  the  pleasure  of  persons  so  well  educated. 

And  as  Lycurgus  resolved  the  whole  business  of  legis- 
lation into  the  bringing  up  of  youth,  so,  as  we  have  seen, 
it  was  the  endeavor  of  Dr.  Nott,  from  the  moment  he  as- 
sumed the  care  of  youth,  to  make  men  of  them,  rather 
than  scholars. 

His  method  succeeded.  He  had  no  forerunner.  He 
followed  no  precedent.  It  cannot  be  said  that  he  set  an 
example  for  imitation.  His  method  succeeded  because  it 
was  his  method.  He  had  able,  faithful  instructors  under 
him:  I  recall  with  admiration  the  names  of  Yates,  of 
Jackson,  Proudfit,  Taylor, —  names  dear  to  students  of 
half  a  century  ago — each  had  his  own  sphere,  and  within 
it  rendered  service  making  more  effective  the  greater  in- 
fluence which  followed  the  relations  of  their  president 
with  his  class. 

At  intervals  since  that  day  —  how  remote  it  seems  — 
the  College  has  been  weary.  It  has  borne  heavy  burdens. 
"  After  the  tale  of  bricks  is  doubled,"  says  the  proverb, 
"Moses  comes."  The  grievous  conditions  seem  to  have 
been  endured.  Our  Moses  is  already  with  us ;  he  has  de- 
clared the  law  of  his  administration,  and  disclosed  the 
"mission  of  the  American  college"  —  to  make  men  fully 
equipped  and  competent  for  the  affairs  of  life. 

Again  in  our  alma  mater,  therefore,  shall  be  proclaimed 
the  "  efficacy  of  ideas,"  founded  in  sovereignty  of  nature 
by  Eliphalet  Nott  in  1804,  and  confirmed  by  his  successor 
in  1894. 


ADDRESS 

BY   REV.  STEALY   B.   ROSSITER,  D.  D. 

Of  the  Class  of  1865. 

SUBJECT:   "the  stareed  faculty." 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTY-NINE  men  have  served 
as  presidents,  professors,  and  tutors  in  the  faculty  of 
Union  College  in  the  one  hundred  years  of  her  honored 
existence. 

Some  of  these  names  have  had  frequent  mention  al- 
ready. We  heard  of  them  on  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday, 
morning  and  afternoon,  and  we  who  adore  them  cannot 
mention  them  too  often.  That  is  what  we  are  here  for, 
to  repeat  these  names,  to  dwell  upon  them,  to  kiss  them. 
The  spirits  of  these  men  are  hovering  near  us ;  we  see 
them  again.  It  would  be  worth  a  year  of  our  monoton- 
ous life  to  sit  at  their  feet  again  for  one  dear  hour. 

Seven  of  those  who  acted  as  presidents,  twenty-four 
of  the  professors,  and  forty-six  of  those  who  served  as 
tutors  are  marked  on  the  College  rolls  with  the  fatal  as- 
terisk. Of  these  we  wish  to  speak,  not  with  particular 
mention  of  them  all,  but  with  some  sympathetic  refer- 
ence at  least ;  and  of  some  of  them  with  a  more  detailed 
remark,  as  their  liv^es,  their  work,  and  their  contributions 
to  the  thought  of  the  century  demand. 

Eight  of  the  eleven  presidents  and  fifty-four  of  the  en- 
tire number  of  the  faculty  have  been  ministers  of  the 


312  UNION    COLLEGE. 

gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  surmise 
of  many,  that  when  a  man  believes  he  puts  a  partial 
extinguisher,  at  least,  upon  liis  reason.  Union  College 
in  its  large  life  stands  for  character  at  work  in  every-day 
affairs ;  for  learning  vitally  united  to  practicalness ;  for 
sound  judgment ;  for  interest  in  the  things  that  concern 
men  in  the  every-day  working  world,  and  if  it  is  true 
that  what  men  gain  in  college  influences,  molds,  shapes 
their  after  careers,  then,  by  the  fostering  care  of  Union 
College,  piety  has  been  converted  into  practical  force, 
and  belief  in  the  supernatural  has  greatly  vivified  and 
strengthened  the  natural  in  the  past  one  hundred  years. 

It  is  a  matter  of  exceeding  interest  to  note  the  connec- 
tion of  these  honored  names  of  the  faculty  with  the  va- 
rious departments  of  learning,  philosophy,  mental  and 
moral  and  natural,  with  the  languages,  ancient  and  mod- 
ern, with  the  art  of  thinking,  writing,  and  speaking,  with 
the  sciences,  with  political  economy,  engineering,  and,  in 
fact,  with  those  things  that  touch  men  for  practical  good, 
and  to  know  that  the  work  of  the  College  faculty  has  not 
been  the  sowing  of  seeds  in  a  snow  bank,  but  in  fruitful, 
productive  soil. 

In  Ezekiel's  vision  we  see  the  river  of  life  issuing  from 
under  the  portals  of  the  temple  of  God  and  becoming  a 
mighty  stream,  and  everything  liveth  whithersoever  the 
river  cometh.  So  in  vision  we  see  issuing  from  the  doors 
of  the  college  a  stream  of  intelligent  and  devoted  life, 
which  takes  its  way  out  among  toiling  and  busy  masses 
of  men,  which  broadens  as  it  flows  and  which  quickens 
everything  it  touches.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive,  it  is 
impossible  to  describe,  the  effect  of  one  hundred  years  of 
refined,  intelligent  life  flowing  out  upon  the  world.  How 
great  the  impact  of  it  upon  the  ignorance  of  the  sur- 
rounding mass !  How  far-reaching  the  diffusion  of  its 
thought  and  learned  contributions  to  the  life  of  the  peo- 
ple !     How  certainly  must  there  have  been  a  lift,  a  refine- 


ADDRESS.  313 

inont,  a  broadening  of  view,  an  elevation  of  ideals  for  the 
whole  people !  How  evidently  was  the  character  and  zeal 
of  the  faculty  impressed  upon  the  thousands  of  young 
men  who  came  under  their  instruction,  and  which  lifted 
them  from  the  field,  the  factory,  the  farm,  the  humble 
home,  into  the  regions  of  commerce,  of  influence,  and  of 
sway. 

Pleasing  would  it  be  to  lift  each  one  of  these  names 
from  the  page  of  the  college  catalogue,  resurrect  it  for 
the  hour,  and  hold  it  up  for  an  instant's  observation  and 
words  of  true  valuation.  But  such  reference  would  con- 
sume more  than  the  time  allotted  to  me,  and  would 
defeat  the  wishes  of  all  the  dead  alumni,  that  those  most 
honored  and  loved  in  life  should  have  the  place  of  particu- 
lar mention  on  this  great  centennial  occasion.  But  while 
we  submit  to  the  Welshes  of  our  honored  dead,  we  can- 
not fail  to  recognize  that  these  many  luconspicHOus  work- 
ers, somehow  inspired  with  the  same  ideals  and  with  the 
same  spirit,  somehow — though  unconsciously  to  them- 
selves— working  for  the  same  end,  wrought  honorably  and 
faithfully  in  their  day,  and  have  given  to  Union  College 
a  solidarity  and  permanence  of  reputation  that  has  not 
varied  much  from  the  standard  set  for  it  by  its  great  and 
most  renowned  president.  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott. 

The  name  of  Yates  is  an  honored  one  in  our  college  an- 
nals, and  appears  frequently  in  the  early  history  of  the 
college.  It  is  selected  for  our  first  reference,  because 
Andrew  Yates  was  one  of  the  first  professors  who 
filled  a  prominent  chair,  and  because  of  the  eminent 
ability  of  the  man  himself.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
class  of  '98,  the  second  class  that  issued  from  the  fostering 
care  of  the  young  college.  He  was  professor  of  the  Latin 
and  Greek  languages  ere  his  college  career  was  fully  over; 
professor  of  moral  philosophy  and  logic  in  1814,  continu- 
ing some  ten  years.  He  was  a  man  of  varied  accomplish- 
ments and  wrought  well  for  the  institution  to  which  he 


814  UNION    COLLEGE. 

had  allied  himself.  His  service  was  given  to  Union  when 
our  alma  mater  was  very  humble  in  her  conditions,  how- 
ever vigorous  in  her  ambitions.  He  served  in  the  ministry 
of  the  gospel  after  he  left  the  professor's  chair,  and  died 
in  1862. 

A  name  that  arose  to  great  eminence  in  the  world  was 
that  of  Thomas  Church  Brownell.  The  boy  who  began 
life  as  little  Tommy  Brownell  ended  life  as  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Thomas  C.  Brownell,  D.D.,  LL.  D.  He  graduated  at  Union 
in  1804. 

He  remained  in  the  college  as  tutor  and  professor  of 
belles  lettres  and  moral  philosophy, — there  was  a  con- 
nection between  these  things  in  those  old  days, —  and  in 
1809  was  chosen  professor  of  chemistry  and  mineralogy. 
Union  at  this  time  was  feeling  the  stimulus  of  its  great 
president ;  the  class-rooms  were  crowded  with  students. 
Professor  Brownell  was  sent  to  Europe  to  secure  neces- 
sary apparatus  and  appliances  for  his  department  and 
remained  there  a  year.  He  added  to  his  other  branches 
of  instruction  that  of  rhetoric,  which  he  continued  until 
his  separation  from  the  college  in  1819. 

Meanwhile  his  deep  and  serious  nature,  not  satisfied 
with  the  duties  of  the  professorship,  sought  the  more 
spiritual  duties  of  the  pastorate.  He  became  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  ordained  in  Trinity 
Church  in  New  Yoi-k  City  in  1816.  His  ability,  his  learn- 
ing and  force  of  character  were  widely  recognized  and  he 
became  Bishop  of  Connecticut  in  1819.  He  had  from  the 
first  a  zeal  for  the  kingdom,  and  even  while  a  professor 
in  college  would  perform  missionary  work  in  the  country 
round  about,  and  when  he  became  Bishop  of  Connecticut 
he  entered  upon  his  new  duties  with  great  vigor  and  con- 
secration. He  carried  along  with  him  his  high  regard 
for  educational  work,  and  this  led  him  to  found  Wash- 
ington, now  Trinity,  College,  Hartford,  of  which  he  was 
the  first  president  and  which  he  served  seven  years.     At 


ADDRESS.  315 

the  death  of  Bishop  Chase  of  Illinois,  he  became  presiding 
bishop.  He  contributed  a  number  of  valuable  books  to 
the  reading:  world,  chiefly  of  a  religious  character.  His 
was  a  strong,  full,  vigorous,  widely-extended  life.  He 
died  in  1865. 

Dr.  Nott  had  l)een  only  five  years  president  of  Union 
College,  when  in  the  fall  of  1809  a  little  New  York  lad  of 
thirteen  years  of  age  came  knocking  at  Union's  door. 
For  four  years  this  young  and  sensitive  and  naturally 
able  mind  felt  the  inspiration  and  personal  magnetism 
of  the  great  president.  He  caught  the  contagion,  the 
force,  the  genius  of  Dr.  Nott.  If  ever  one  mind  was  in- 
oculated with  the  genius  of  another,  that  mind  was  Fran- 
cis Wayland,  and  that  inoculating  personality  was  Dr. 
Nott. 

He  graduated  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  supposed, 
in  his  ignorance  of  what  God  had  in  store  for  him,  he  was 
to  be  a  physician.  But  in  1816  Grod  and  he  had  a  grapple, 
and  he  was  converted  in  the  good,  old  way  of  deep  con- 
viction of  sin  and  of  entire  surrender  to  God.  His  toy- 
ing with  the  profession  of  medicine  was  swept  away  on 
the  instant,  and  he  began  to  study  for  the  ministry  in 
Andover  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  tutor  in  Union 
College  in  1816  and  1817,  professor  of  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy  1821  to  1826.  At  the  early  age  of 
thirty-one  he  became  President  of  Brown  University, 
the  same  age  as  that  of  Dr.  Nott,  when  he  assumed  the 
presidency  of  Union  —  another  strange  coincidence  in 
the  lives  of  these  two  men.  From  this  time  on  his  life 
was  sending  waves  of  influence  out  on  every  side.  The 
whole  country  felt  the  effect  of  his  ideas  and  personality. 
He  became  one  of  the  most  remarkable  educators  and 
preachers  of  his'  day.  The  secret  of  his  own  strength, 
of  his  strong  determining  influence  upon  others,  and  of 
his  success  with  young  men  was  his  view  of  moral  re- 
sponsibility.   Wherever  he  found  himself,  he  felt  himself 


316  UNION    COLLEGE. 

related  to  existing  things,  and  therefore  morally  responsi- 
ble for  the  removal  of  evils  and  the  betterment  of  condi- 
tions. He  stirred  the  religious  world  as  it  had  not  been 
stirred  for  a  long  time,  by  his  great  sermon  on  the  moral 
dignity  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  His  books  on  Moral 
Science  and  Intellectual  Philosophy  struck  the  same 
grand  chord.  His  own  secret  life  was  urged  on  by  the 
same  noble  sense  of  responsibility.  His  letters  to  the 
ministry  were  elevating  and  ennobling.  Sixteen  volumes 
issued  from  his  pen,  treating  of  themes  of  high  and  death- 
less importance.  He  was  a  man  that  united  great  mental 
power  with  strong  common  sense,  and  both  were  radiated 
with  the  sweet  light  of  a  rare  spirituality.  We  of  old 
Union  feel  as  though  his  life  was  a  torch,  lighted  from 
the  great  torch  burning  here,  to  shine  in  that  distant 
State  and  repeat  the  work  that  was  being  done  here.  He 
was  caught  up  to  God  in  the  year  1865. 

The  name  of  Potter  has  been  closely  and  honorably 
connected  with  the  fortunes  of  Union  College  from  its 
early  life,  and  is  found  among  the  faculty  and  in  the  hon- 
ored list  of  its  presidents  and  its  board  of  trustees,  and 
two  men  bearing  that  illustrious  name  take  part  in  these 
Centennial  Exercises.  Perhaps  no  one  of  them  will  shine 
with  more  enduring  fame  than  that  of  Alonzo  Potter,  grad- 
uated from  Union  College  in  1818,  a  class  that  gave  two 
bishops  to  the  Episcopal  Church;  tutor  from  1819  to 
1822;  professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy 
from  1822-26 ;  professor  of  rhetoric  and  natural  philos- 
ophy, 1831-45 ;  honorary  vice-president,  1847-65,  taken 
to  heavenly  rewards  in  that  same  year.  The  boys  started 
in  early  in  the  former  days,  for  Alonzo  Potter  entered 
Union  College  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  Tayler  Lewis,  four- 
teen, Francis  Wayland  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  Isaac  Jack- 
son at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  Gillespie,  of  Columbia,  at 
fourteen.  Potter's  entire  life  was  given  to  the  cause  of 
education  and  religion.    He  filled  many  of  the  professors' 


ADDRESS.  317 

chairs  in  tlio  College,  and  as  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania  lie 
originated  and  promoted  some  of  the  most  excellent  and 
enduring  Church  charities,  and  made  his  life  felt  in  strong, 
energetic  ways  along  many  lines  of  usefulness. 

He  left  the  record  of  his  thinking  in  a  volume  on  po- 
litical economy,  and  one  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity, 
and  in  perhaps  the  most  noted  of  all,  a  volume  of  reli- 
gious philosophy.  80  brave  and  strong  a  life  was  worthy 
of  an  enduring  monument,  and  that  was  given  to  the 
world  in  a  biography  written  by  Bishop  Howe. 

The  brilliant  period  of  Union  College  history  was  from 
1826  to  1876,  when  in  its  faculty  were  found  such  men 
as  Jackson,  Pearson,  Hickok,  Lewis,  Gillespie,  Peissner, 
with  its  grand  President  marching  on  before,  to  be  suc- 
ceeded by  one  as  grand  but  differently  grand,  Dr.  Hickok. 
Rarely  has  it  been  the  privilege  of  any  American  college 
to  gather  into  one  corps  such  a  coterie  of  men,  original 
in  thought,  bold  in  discovery,  eminent  in  special  fields, 
setting  the  standard  for  thinkers  everywhere,  and  con- 
tributing so  much  valuable,  original,  and  shaping  material 
to  the  reading  and  thinking  public. 

A  rare,  sweet,  kindly  life  began  at  Cornwall,  Orange 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1804,  when  the  boy 
Isaac  W.  Jacksou  was  born  into  the  world.  Every  one 
has  his  life  line,  and  the  life  line  of  this  boy  was  straight 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  scarcely  a  sinuosity  in  it 
anywhere,  and  ever  on  the  incline,  until  it  was  lost  in 
the  pure  region  of  eternal  shining  and  ideal  form  toward 
which,  during  his  pilgrimage  his  eyes  were  ever  turned. 

He  graduated  at  Union  in  1826,  and  entered  imme- 
diately upon  the  duties  of  a  tutor  in  the  (^ollege.  From 
that  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1879,  cov- 
ering a  period  of  fifty-one  years,  he  gave  himself  to 
devoted,  painstaking,  self-denying  service  of  his  College, 
and  to  rapt,  intense  study  and  enjo5''ment  of  the  laws  of 
God  as  displayed  in  optics. 


318  UNION    COLLEGE. 

If  Dr.  Nott  may  be  called  the  guardian  genius  of  Union 
College,  Professor  Jackson  may  well  be  called  one  of  its 
delightful  permanences. 

The  light  of  his  life  was  as  distinct  from  the  life  of  other 
members  of  the  faculty  as  Orion  from  the  other  planets 
of  the  night,  and  the  odor  of  his  life  as  different  from 
other  lives,  as  the  scent  of  mignonette  from  that  of 
roses  and  violets.  Our  memory  of  him  is  not  disturbed 
by  the  name  of  any  other  claiming  a  share  in  our  regard. 
He  is,  as  it  were,  in  a  little  room  by  himself,  and  we  often 
turn  aside  for  friendship's  offering. 

He  was  created  for  mathematics.  Even  as  a  boy  in  old 
Albany  he  was  noted  as  a  superior  mathematician,  and  in 
all  his  years  of  study  he  gave  the  best  of  himself  to  this 
favorite  pursuit,  and  in  it  found  for  himself  the  most  ex- 
quisite delight.  Dr.  Hickok  in  his  philosophy  sought  to 
reach  the  region  of  pure  ideas  by  a  process  of  reasoning. 
Dr.  Jackson  was  born  into  that  region,  and  his  study  was 
always  of  the  ideal  forms  unimpaired  by  their  embodi- 
ment in  physical  forms. 

Pure  mathematics,  '"  so  called  from  their  crystal  clari- 
tude,  the  science  of  certainty,  the  divine  science,  the 
science  of  the  ever  being,"  to  this  Dr.  Jackson  devoted 
his  intellectual  life.  It  was  said  of  the  star-gazers  of  the 
Orient  that  some  of  the  light  of  the  resplendent  sky  was 
reflected  from  their  faces,  and  it  is  true  of  the  star-gazers 
of  the  present  day.  They  are  not  as  other  men,  for  a 
certain  purity  and  serenity  and  kindliness  of  mind  are 
theirs. 

Professor  Jackson  reveled  in  the  brightness  and  mystery 
of  the  midnight  sky.  He  knew  the  rapture  of  the  intricate 
mathematical  problem  solved.  He  saw  the  marvelous 
laws  of  light  in  all  their  wonderful  action  and  interplay, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  his  joy  in  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  was  in  great  part  the  explanation  of  his 
contented,  hospitable,  kindly  life. 


ADDRESS.  319 

He  found  liis  true  place  as  professor  of  the  exact 
sciences,  or  rather  God  put  him  in  liis  true  pUice,  but  he 
niiglit  have  found  other  and  honored  phices  if  he  had 
souglit  them.  The  fire  of  the  orator  and  the  advocate 
was  in  his  nature,  and  he  might  have  risen  high  in  the 
councils  of  the  State.  He  did  turn  from  ideal  forms  and 
mystic  shinings  as  found  in  the  heavens  to  the  study  of 
horticulture  and  gardening.  He  made  the  desert  blossom 
like  a  rose.  He  created  a  little  paradise  out  of  barren- 
ness. He  loved  the  softness  and  color  of  the  rose-leaf, 
for  these  were  to  him  the  eternal  laws  of  God  at  play. 
He  endeavored  to  embody  ideal  forms  and  curves  and 
arches  in  winding  paths  and  ovei-hanging  limbs  of  trees, 
in  vistas,  in  surprises  to  sight  and  sense.  And  thus  he 
lived  as  between  two  worlds :  the  world  of  shining  and 
the  world  of  color. 

There  is  something  finer  and  higher  in  human  nature 
than  scholarship,  and  that  is  a  gracious  selfhood.  The 
kindly  man  that  Professor  Jackson  was  stirs  our  deepest 
and  tenderest  memories.  His  loves  were  but  the  symp- 
toms of  a  great,  deep,  affectionate  heart.  He  inspired  in 
his  students  a  tender  regard. 

We  called  him  captain  for  some  reason  not  fully  known, 
nor  do  we  want  to  know,  and  we  remember  yet  the  glee- 
ful way  in  which  we  used  to  respond  to  his  "  Fall  in, 
gentlemen ;  fall  in,"  in  our  annual  procession  down  Col- 
lege Hill.  He  must  have  "  form,"  if  he  had  to  carve  it 
out  of  the  boys,  though  it  was  ragged  form,  I  fear,  as 
soon  as  his  back  was  turned.  He  was  a  poet  in  his  way. 
He  was  a  humorist,  and  well  do  we  recall  the  little  ex- 
cursions into  politics,  or  literature,  or  reform,  he  used  to 
give  us  in  recitation  time,  with  his  legs  thrown  over  the 
arm  of  his  chair,  for  the  day  was  hot,  and  optics  had  no 
charm  for  the  boys,  who  had  watched  the  stars  on  the 
previous  night.  He  loved  dogs  and  horses  and  flowers 
and  little  children.     His  heart  was  kindly,  and  his  occa- 


320  UNION    COLLEGE. 

sional  sharp  speech  was  a  thin  disguise  to  his  gentleness 
of  feeling,  which  we  easily  saw  through.  "  I  remember 
with  remarkable  distinctness,"  says  a  graduate  of  '76,  "his 
last  public  ai:)pearance ;  the  quavering  voice,  the  keen 
eyes,  the  long  white  locks  of  this  venerable  scholar,  and 
the  thrill  that  passed  through  my  boyish  heart  as  he  ap- 
peared before  us." 

A  remarkable  intellect  was  given  to  the  world  in  the 
birth  of  Tayler  Lewis,  in  Northumberland,  Saratoga 
County,  in  the  year  1802.  Even  at  the  early  age  of  nine 
his  mind  began  to  open  and  to  show  its  aptitudes  and 
preferences,  and  at  fourteen  he  knocked  for  admittance 
at  the  doors  of  Union  College.  Graduated  in  1820,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  which  study  of  law  and  the 
practice  of  it  consumed  a  period  of  thirteen  years.  That 
period  is  marked  as  disclosing  a  divergence  of  feeling  be- 
tween his  soul  and  his  profession.  It  was  not  only  dis- 
taste for  law  and  its  practice  that  led  to  his  separation 
from  it,  but  a  high  sense  of  personal  righteousness.  His 
conscience  was  a  fire  within  him.  It  maintained  itself 
at  white  heat  through  all  his  life  and  never  would  allow 
him  to  compromise,  nor  to  forsake  a  persecuted  class  of 
human  beings  for  the  sake  of  possible  and  great  gains; 
nor  yield  a  single  iota  of  what  he  considered  to  be  truth, 
nor  to  hesitate  to  attack  traditional  interpretation  of 
Scripture  which  his  studies  had  found  to  be  false,  even 
though  he  knew  that  such  attack  would  draw  upon  him- 
self the  bitterest  comment  and  assault.  Understand  the 
conscience  of  this  man,  and  you  understand  all  his  life- 
career,  for  that  was  the  impelling  force  back  of  it  all. 

Naturally,  after  his  divorce  from  the  law,  his  activity 
turned  in  the  direction  of  teaching,  and  for  the  next  five 
years  we  see  him  at  the  head  of  academies  at  Waterford 
and  Ogdensburgh.  During  this  period  he  began  to  dis- 
cuss in  the  weekly  2)apers  subjects  for  the  times.  An 
inexhaustible  fountain  was  thus  opened  for  the  reading 


ADDRESS.  321 

world,  for  from  this  time  on  he  poured  forth  a  constant 
stream  of  articles  for  magazines,  reviews,  and  newspapers, 
touching  themes  of  ijractical,  litei'ary,  national  impor- 
tance, and  ending  in  tlie  remarkable  series  of  articles  on 
the  "Sabbath-School  Lessons"  published  in  the  "Sunday- 
School  Times"  of  1876  and  1877. 

His  professorial  career  began  in  1838  when  he  became 
professor  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  the  University  of  New 
York,  in  which  he  continued  nine  years.  His  Phi  Beta 
address  at  the  commencement  of  his  alma  mater,  on  the 
extraordinarj'"  title,  "  Faith  the  Life  of  Science,"  drew  the 
attention  of  the  pedagogic  world,  and  he  was  offered  pro- 
fessorships in  different  places,  but  accepted  the  one  in 
the  University  of  New  York. 

His  first  book  appeared  while  occupying  this  chair  — 
"Plato  Against  the  Atheists,"  a  book  for  scholars  and 
full  of  the  finest  disquisitions  in  metaphysics  and  subtle 
etymologies. 

The  fullness  and  power  of  his  great  life  dates  from 
1849,  when  he  accepted  the  professorship  of  Greek  in 
Union  College,  and  later  the  chair  of  Oriental  languages 
and  Biblical  literature.  Always  a  student,  in  these  days 
his  studiousness  became  intense  and  often  the  morning 
broke  and  found  him  still  at  his  delightful  task.  Sleep 
he  considered  an  intrusion,  and  the  solitude  and  quiet  of 
college  vacations  were  to  him  periods  of  the  greatest  de- 
light. These  were  the  days  of  his  long  walks,  deep  into 
linguistic  lore.  This  was  the  period  of  omnivorous  read- 
ing and  intense  literary  activity.  One  book  followed 
another  in  quick  succession,  and,  in  between,  articles 
for  magazines  appeared  in  rich  profusion.  He  startled 
the  religious  world  by  his  volume,  "  The  Six  Days  of 
Creation,"  but  there  was  no  occasion  for  alarm,  for  by 
profound  criticism  of  the  Scriptm^es  he  antedated  the  dis- 
coveries of  geology,  and  found  in  the  words  of  the  Bible 
that  which  was  afterwards  found  in  the  rocks  of  the  earth. 
21 


322  UNION    COLLEGE. 

He  was  a  man  of  versatile  accomplishments  and  no 
subject  repelled  him.  He  loved  to  solve  the  problems  of 
higher  mathematics.  He  ardently  loved  the  stars  and 
would  talk  of  them  as  of  familiar  friends.  He  loved 
music,  would  think  in  music,  and  long  after  deafness 
had  shut  out  the  world  of  sound  he  would  finger  the  key- 
board of  a  musical  instrument  in  hopes  to  revive,  by  as- 
sociation, the  delights  forbidden  him.  The  sound  of  the 
wind  through  the  trees,  the  singing  of  the  birds,  were  to 
him  exquisite  delight  because  of  the  sensitiveness  of  his 
soul  to  all  things  beautiful.  Scholar,  patriot,  poet,  theolo- 
gian too;  God  seldom  makes  a  rarer  spirit  than  the  one  that 
burned  in  the  fragile  frame  of  Tayler  Lewis.  Among  his 
latest  utterances  was  this,  "  I  go  where  all  is  brightness." 

Perhaps  the  name  most  honored  in  the  college  faculty, 
next  to  the  ever  glorious  name  of  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  is 
that  of  Laurens  P.  Hickok.  He  was  born  at  Bethel, 
Conn.,  in  1798,  and  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1820, 
in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age.  He  served  as 
pastor  over  the  Congregational  Church  in  Kent  and  af- 
terward in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  in  1836  was  called  to 
the  professorship  of  philosophy  in  Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege. He  had  now  reached  the  position  for  which,  by 
natural  endowment,  strong  individual  preference  and 
singular  aptitude,  he  was  particularly  fitted.  And  from 
this  time  on  his  remarkable  and  muscular  intellect  laid 
hold  of,  in  forceful  grapple,  the  most  supreme  subjects.  In 
these  early  years  he  began  to  lay  down  the  lines  of  that 
mighty  system  of  thought  which  stretched  from  the  ethi- 
cal obligation  of  a  rose  in  your  buttonhole  to  the  im- 
peratives resting  upon  the  absolute  reason.  The  system 
grew  in  his  mind  from  the  years  of  quiet  professorship  in 
Western  Reserve  until  it  was  finished  after  seventy  years 
of  age,  in  the  quiet  study  at  Amherst,  whither  he  had 
retired,  according  to  a  settled  plan,  in  the  crowning  and 
completing  work  of  his  life,  "  The  Logic  of  Reason." 


ADDRESS.  323 

You  have  but  to  name  the  titles  of  his  published  works, 
—  not  to  mentiou  numerous  and  briefer  articles  con- 
tributed to  the  magazines  and  reviews  of  his  day,  most 
of  which  were  little  excursions  off  the  main  line  to  reach 
stations  of  thought  and  difficulty  a  little  in  the  interior, 
and  throw  upon  them  the  liglit  of  an  explanation, —  to 
see  in  what  high  and  difficult  altitudes  he  lived. 

"Rational  Psychology,"  published  in  1848,  revised  in 
1861,  a  transcendental  philosophy,  which  assumes  to  see, 
by  clear  intuition,  the  necessary  conditions  of  all  thinking, 
and  therefore  be  able  to  affirm,  so  things  must  be. 

"  Moral  Science  "  followed  in  1853.  The  logical  order 
would  have  been  rational  psychology,  mental  philosophy, 
moral  philosophy;  but  evidently  he  was  influenced  by 
the  desire  to  give  the  young  men  under  his  care  as  soon 
as  possible  a  strong,  determining  word  on  morals,  which 
would  be  for  them  chart  and  compass  in  the  navigation 
of  the  wide  sea  of  personal  habits. 

"  Mental  Science "  followed  in  1854,  only  a  year  after. 
The  publication  of  two  such  books  in  two  years  attested 
the  vast  powers  of  his  mind,  his  well  thought-out  system, 
and  his  immense  ability  for  hard  work. 

In  1858  he  published  his  "  Rational  Cosmology,"  and  in 
1872  "  Creator  and  Creation."  The  last  in  a  good  sense  a 
revision  of  the  former,  in  which  he  clearly  shows  there 
can  be  no  proof  of  divine  existence  by  the  conclusions  of 
the  logical  judgment,  but  only  by  the  clear  seeing  of  the 
reason.  And  thus  the  Creator  being  clearly  perceived,  it 
was  not  difficult  to  contemplate  how  the  various  forces  of 
nature  were  originated,  and  how  by  their  interaction  a 
material  universe  was  builded,  and  then  how  life-power 
was  superinduced  upon  force,  and  the  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal kingdoms  brought  into  existence,  and  how,  at  last, 
by  the  gift  of  reason,  the  animal  was  lifted  into  the  hu- 
man, and  the  free,  moral,  responsible  man  appeared  upon 
the  scene. 


324  UNION    COLLEGE. 

In  1872  also  appeared  his  "  Humanity  Immortal,"  which 
is  indeed  his  philosophy  applied  to  human  life,  free, 
moral,  responsible.  It  is  indeed  the  theology  he  taught 
in  the  old  days  at  Auburn  Seminary,  but  now  perfected 
and  completed  and  in  fine  accord  with  the  line  of  truth 
presented  in  revealed  Scripture. 

In  1874  appeared  his  last  book,  "  The  Logic  of  Reason." 
The  title  itself  is  as  bold  as  anything  he  ever  did. 

Dr.  Hickok  was  a  metaphysician,  not  according  to  Aris- 
totle's definition  of  metaphysics,  thiugs  after  physics,  but 
according  to  the  modern  idea,  things  interior  to  physics. 
He  was  a  man  continually  pressing  back  of  the  sense 
phenomena  in  search  of  the  sub-stans  underlying  and 
supporting  the  sense  phenomena.  And  not  content  with 
that,  seeking  to  determine  why  things  are  so  and  not 
otherwise ;  and  standing,  as  it  were,  on  the  last  conclu- 
sion of  the  logical  understanding,  leaping  to  the  concep- 
tion of  the  fixed  and  necessary  conditions  in  which  all 
things  must  originate  and  grow. 

He  was  a  theologian.  He  held  the  illuminating  explana- 
tion of  fixed  decree  and  free  agency,  foreknowledge  abso- 
lute and  moral  responsibility,  as  no  man  in  this  century ; 
and  if  he  had  given  himself  particularly  to  theology  he 
would  have  filled  the  chair  of  theology,  vacant  now  for 
many  centuries,  and  waiting  yet  for  an  occupant. 

He  was  a  philosopher.  With  him  the  endowment  of 
the  reason  is  the  differentiation  of  the  animal  and  the 
human.  It  involves  conscious  selfhood ;  it  has  an  insight 
of  its  own  being  and  activity ;  it  is  part  of  the  absolute 
reason,  and  therefore  knows  in  itself,  and  clearly  sees,  the 
methods  of  the  divine  ratiocination.  He  was  not  content 
with  the  position  of  Kepler, —  "  I  think  the  thoughts  of 
Grod  after  him," — but  being  vitally  connected  with  the  ab- 
solute reason,  he  thought  the  very  thoughts  of  God,  the 
thoughts  that  God  must  have  thought,  but  with  such 
awe-stricken  reverence  that  he  was  prostrate  as  well  as 


ADDRESS.  325 

exultant ;  so  daring  that,  if  not  smitten  to  the  very  core 
of  Ills  being  with  absohite  self-surrender,  he  might  have 
sinned  the  sin  of  the  great  apostate  angel. 

He  was  a  potency,  an  intellectual  dynamo,  a  character 
positive  as  Gibraltar.  He  impressed  the  students  strangely 
and  mightily.  He  bulked  large  in  mind  and  body.  We 
cannot  forget  that  large,  heavy  hand  that  used  to  de- 
scend upon  the  desk  before  him  and  shake  it  in  all  its 
structure,  nor  the  oft-repeated  words,  "It  must  be  so." 
We  recall  the  rolling  gait,  almost  a  waddle,  up  the  old 
college  hill,  and  the  great  gold-headed  cane  that  used  to 
thump  the  pavement  with  force  sufficient  to  penetrate  it, 
which  hangs  now  in  a  student's  room  in  a  home  in  the 
interior  of  the  State,  and  that  grand,  kindly  heart,  con- 
siderate of  young  men's  frailties,  tender  and  helpful  to- 
wards those  who  needed  aid  of  any  kind.  His  manly 
humility,  his  strong  common-sense,  his  infinite  self-con- 
trol, his  gentleness  and  patience,  coupled  with  his  mighty 
intellect,  exalted  him  to  a  region  where  but  few  men 
walk,  and  where  by  necessity  the  solitude  is  great.  "  Old 
spiritual  worthiness  "  we  used  to  call  him,  and  the  name, 
given  in  jest,  is  perhaps  the  best  title  that  could  be  given 
to  so  grand  and  pure  a  man. 

A  valuation  of  the  force  and  weight,  and  I  might  add 
the  dimensions,  of  the  college  faculty,  which  should  omit 
the  name  of  William  Mitchell  Gillespie,  would  be  strangely 
wanting ;  so  unevenly  balanced,  that  the  men  who  stud- 
ied under  him  might  well  call  out  for  explanation.  He 
was  a  man  different  from  all  the  others ;  a  man  singular 
in  habit,  in  reserve,  in  sensitiveness  and  in  a  certain  soli- 
tariness that  he  always  carried  about  him.  He  added  a 
necessary  something  to  the  immortal  three  whose  names 
weave  such  a  halo  of  brilliancy  around  the  forehead  of 
alma  mater.  His  was  a  fine,  penetrating  intellectuality. 
There  was  a  strain  of  dissent  about  him,  a  sort  of  re- 
serve of  conclusion,  a  hold  of  faith  not  as  yet  a  grip, 
21* 


326  UNION    COLLEGE. 

but  only  the  faintest  kind  of  a  touch,  that  was  piquant 
and  attractive  to  some  minds  that  felt  coerced  by  the 
positiveness  of  Hickok  and  Lewis.  He  was  born  in  New 
York  City  in  1816,  and  graduated  from  Columbia  College 
in  1834.  He  studied  in  Europe  for  many  years  and  re- 
turned in  1845,  with  a  mind  capable,  well-stored,  and 
venturesome.  He  was  immediately  called  to  the  chair 
of  civil  engineering  in  Union  College,  and  held  his  posi- 
tion until  his  death,  which  occurred  January  1,  1868, 
His  nature  was  rather  cold,  but  not  insensible  to  beauties 
of  nature,  nor  unobservant  of  passing  events, — as  his  book 
on  "  Eome  as  seen  by  a  New  Yorker  "  in  1843  and  1844  can 
testify, — nor  un appreciative  of  the  loyalty  and  regard  of 
the  students.  But  he  was  not  a  man  to  inspire  ardent 
affection,  and  triangulation  does  not  conduce  to  sociabil- 
ity. He  walked  apart.  He  was  lost  in  his  line  of  study. 
His  contributions  to  the  science  of  engineering  have  been 
very  valuable,  and  he,  like  his  mighty  confreres,  was  seek- 
ing the  highest,  as  his  "  Philosophy  of  Mathematics  "  in- 
dicates and  his  higher  surveying  abundantly  shows. 

There  are  many  other  names  that  shine  in  our  sky ; 
some  twinkled  but  for  a  little  time,  and  some  shone  on 
steadily,  like  the  planets  of  the  night. 

Thomas  Macauley,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  who  served  as  tutor  and 
as  professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  for 
seventeen  years. 

Robert  Proudfit,  a  sweet,  beloved  name  to  many  a 
graduate,  who  was  professor  of  Greek  and  Latin  lan- 
guages for  thirty-one  years,  and  continued  on  in  kindly 
sovereign  interest  over  his  department  for  eleven  years 
more,  making  a  continuous  service  of  forty-two  years. 

Thomas  C.  Eeid,  D.  D.,  who  served  in  the  high  and 
important  chairs  of  political  economy  and  intellectual 
philosophy  and  Latin  languages  and  literature  for 
twenty-five  years. 

Jonathan  Pearson — Pinky  Pearson,  we  used  to  call  him, 


ADDKESS.  327 

and  those  titles  are  dearer  to  us  than  college  degrees — that 
grave  and  kindly  man,  who  led  us  out  into  the  fields 
and  the  forests  for  the  study  of  nature,  and  while  he  was 
found  face-deep  in  the  wonder  of  stamen,  pistil,  and  cor- 
olla, the  boys  played  leap-frog  behind  his  back ;  but  be  it 
said  once  for  all,  for  all  students  and  all  the  faculty,  we 
loved  them  none  the  less  but  all  the  more  because  of  our 
youthful  friskiness.  He  served  his  alma  mater  for  fifty- 
one  years. 

Again  the  name  of  Yates.  John  Austin  Yates,  D.D., 
tutor  and  professor  of  Oriental  literature  for  twenty-six 
years. 

Peissner,  that  heroic  name,  who  will  be  abundantly 
mentioned  when  Union  College  and  the  army  shall  be 
considered. 

Beujamin  Stanton,  connected  with  the  life  of  the  insti- 
tutiou,  in  Union  School  and  Union  College  for  twenty- 
six  years,  a  scholar  in  physical  build,  in  mental  poise, 
in  wide  and  varied  learning. 

And  last  of  all  that  young  and  ardent  spirit.  Professor 
Isaiah  B.  Price,  well  fitted  to  succeed  Professor  Jack- 
son in  the  chair  of  the  exact  sciences,  who  gave  such 
promise  of  successful  career,  but  was  cut  off  in  the  prime 
of  life. 

These  all  died  in  the  love  of  the  college  they  once 
served,  and  each  contributed  according  to  his  ability  to 
the  renown  and  work  of  alma  mater.  Union  has  become 
a  name  to  conjure  by,  and  it  is  Union,  Union,  Union,  all 
along  the  lines  and  np  the  heights  and  into  the  future,  and 
the  motto  of  the  college  is  to  become  the  motto  of  the 
Universal  Church,  and  the  spirit  of  the  college  the  spirit 
of  the  Universal  Brotherhood.     So  mote  it  be. 


Dr.  Nott  said:  Some  time  ago  while  rummaging  through  an  old  literary 
junk  shop  in  New  York,  I  happened  to  see  a  bundle  of  documents  labeled 
*'  Union  College,"  and  upon  examining  its  contents  I  found  they  included  a 
copy  of  the  commencement  exercises  at  this  college  for  1860,  and  opposite  a 
certain  poem  delivered  on  that  occasion  there  was  this  marginal  note  in 
pencil:  "Well  written,  but  faint  spoken."  The  voice  that  was  difficult  to 
hear  across  this  church  in  1860  grew  in  power  until  it  was  heard  with  ease 
and  pleasure  not  only  across  many  a  church,  but  across  the  State  and  across 
the  continent,  in  journalism  and  other  forms  of  literary  work.  It  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  introduce  to  you  the  sole  proprietor  of  that  voice,  who  will 
deliver  before  us  this  evening  a  poem  which  I  am  confident  will  be  well  writ- 
ten and  not  faint  spoken.     [Applause.] 


CENTENNIAL   POEM 

BY  WILLIAM   H.    McELROY,   LL.D. 

Of  the  Class  of  1860. 

THE   EOLL-CALL. 

As  o'er  his  harp  the  minstrel  bends,  though  only  friends  are 

round  him, 
A  certain  nervous  bashfulness  quite  threatens  to  confound  him — 
'T  is  so  Leander  must  have  felt,  his  courage  down  to  zero, 
When,  rising  from  the  Hellespont,  he  read  some  rhymes  to  Hero. 

0  woman,  when  we  love  you  most,  then  most  you  trouble  make 

us, 
For  you  we  yearn  to  do  our  best  and  then  —  our  wits  forsake  us ; 
So  now  The  Unexpressive  She,  more  dear  than  any  other, 

1  celebrate  with  trembling  lips  —  God  bless  her,  she  's  our 

mother. 

What  beacons  blaze  on  memory's  coast,  as  here  to-night  we  rally, 
As  ever  swelling  peals  of  joy  ring  through  the  Mohawk  Valley ; 
Should  we  be  dumb  the  very  stones  would  cry  aloud  to  shame 

us  — 
List !  't  is  our  mother  leads  the  hymn,  the  old  time  Gaudeamus. 


CENTENNIAL   POEM.  329 

She  sings  it,  holding"  liigli  hei"  torch,  a  sacrod  ton^h  ofh'arning, 
Behokl  it,  as  the  centnry  ends,  well  tiininicd  and  bi-ig-htly 

burning : 
Hail,  blessed  torch !  and  nuiy  thy  ))eanis,  sufifused  with  light 

supernal. 
Shine  more  and  more  till  dawns  the  day,  the  perfect,  the  eternal. 

We  kneel  to  crave  her  sovereign  grace,  with  love's  impassioned 

hunger. 
We  cry,  fond  gazing  on  her  face,  ''  You  're  ever  growing 

younger" — 
Then  Time,  the  scythe-man,  says  to  Tide, ''  Let 's  halt  —  't  would 

sadly  shame  us 
If  we  refused  to  wait  for  her,  who  leads  the  Gaudcanius.^^ 

For  her  we  spurn  the  people's  rule  and  glory  in  our  treason  — 
Up  with  the  garnet,  live  the  Queen,  this  high  Centennial  season ! 
Were  all  her  sister  autocrats  as  wise,  as  true,  as  tender, 
The  woman  question  soon  were  solved —  each  man  would  quick 
surrender. 

She  hears  us ;  and  across  her  cheeks  the  blue  blood  swiftly 

rushes ; 
She  may  not  take  to  compliments,  but  ah,  what  charming 

blushes. 
She  shakes  her  head  —  she  knits  her  brows  —  she  makes  as  if  to 

blame  us, 
And  then  she  strains  us  to  her  heart,  and  murmurs,  Gaudeamus. 

And  when,  held  in  her  ample  lap,  she  bending  proudly  o'er  us. 
We  've  fond  rehearsed  each  terrace  song  —  nine  cheers  with 

every  chorus. 
She  cries,  while  o'er  her  radiant  eyes,  a  shade  of  sadness  passes, 
''  Please  some  one  call  the  roll  for  me,  the  roll  of  all  my  classes ; 

"  Pray  call  it  loud  and  call  it  clear,  for  oh  your  mother  's  eager 
To  catch  the  names  of  all  her  sons,  from  alpha  to  omega; 
And  if,  perchance,  some  names  are  blurred,  I  '11  prompt  you,  be 

dismayed  not. 
For  each  is  graven  on  my  heart  in  characters  that  fade  not." 


330  UNION    COLLEGE. 

The  roll-call  reaches  from  the  class,  long  siuce  caught  up  to 

Heaven, 
Which  flourished  in  the  antique  times  of  1797 ; 
On  to  the  current,  climax  class,  where  dwell  the  coming  sages. 
The  class  of  1895,  proud  heir  of  all  the  ages. 

With  varied  names  the  roll  is  writ,  with  dull  ones  and  with 

bright  ones. 
With  names  of  workers  and  of  drones,  of  black  sheep  and  of 

white  ones ; 
Of  those  who  loved  the  classic  tongues,  of  those  who  took  to 

statics. 
Of  those  who  madly  doted  on  the  higher  mathematics. 

Here  are  the  names  of  youths  who  stormed  the  heights  of  grand 

Parnassus, 
Who  viewed  the  world,  its  men  and  things,  through  fancy's 

tinted  glasses ; 
Of  those,  with  pebbles  in  their  mouths,  who  evermore  were 

seeking 
To  learn  why  old  Demosthenes  was  good  at  public  speaking. 

This  name  —  with  problems  of  the  soul,  its  owner  loved  to 

grapple. 
The  boy  was  made  of  martyr  stuff — he  never  flunked  from 

chapel ; 
That  name  was  borne  by  him,  alas,  of  college  rules  disdainful. 
Whose  course  so  prematurely  closed,  for  reasons  rather  painful. 

Names !  names  !  the  strictly  orthodox  and  those  who  posed  as 

skeptics 
Because — it  often  happens  thus  —  they  were  such  prime 

dyspeptics. 
And  his  who,  scorning  printed  books,  paid  Nature  his 

addresses  — 
Sweet  Nature !  in  a  frock  of  white,  blue  sash  and  sun-kissed 

tresses. 


CENTENNIAL   POEM.  331 

Our  mother  follows  close  tlio  roll,  with  face  of  wrapt  attention, 
With  pensive  smile  and  gracious  speech  she  greets  each  name 

we  mention, 
But  gives  no  sign,  O  loving  heart,  who  stupid  or  who  bright 

were. 
Which  were  the  truly  proper  names,  who  black  sheep  or  who 

white  were. 


Thus  loud  and  clear  and  clinging  at  her  knee, 
We  call  the  long,  long  roll  from  A  to  Z, 
The  task  completed  as  we  end  the  call, 
And  turning  tell  her,  "  Mother,  that  is  all." 
Her  benediction  falls — a  sacred  joy — 
On  the  bowed  head  of  every  Union  boy : 
Those  here,  those  vanished ;  for  up  there,  I  ween. 
Her  children  bend  to  view  this  hallowed  scene, 
And  join  in  spirit  with  the  pageants  here 
With  which  we  keep  this  glad  red-letter  year. 
When  the  last  sunset  fades  from  College  Hill, 
When  time  is  o'er  and  nature's  heart  is  still, 
When  earth  and  sky  are  shriveled  like  a  scroll. 
And  the  great  Master  calls  the  final  roll, 
Then  shall  our  mother  cry  on  bended  knee, 
^^  Lord,  here  am  I,  and  those  thou  gav'st  to  meP 


MEMORIAL   DAY. 


[The  exercises  of  this  day  included  three  distinct  meetings  designed  to 
commemorate  the  achievements  of  Union  graduates  in  Patriotic  Service,  in 
Professional  Life,  and  in  Statesmanship  and  Politics.  The  first  was  held  on 
the  College  Campus  at  8.30  A.  M.,  the  second  in  the  tent  at  9.30  a.  m.,  and 
the  third  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  8.00  p.  M.  The  Alumni  Banquet 
was  held  in  Memorial  Hall  at  1.00  p.  M.,  and  the  Semi-Centenuial  of  the 
Engineering  School  in  the  tent  at  4.00  p.  M.] 


WEDNESDAY,   JUNE   TWENTY-SIXTH. 


€f)c  CoUcgc  in  patriotic  ^f^crViicc, 

Gen.  Daniel   Buttekfield,  LL.  D.,   of   the   Class  of 
1849,  presiding. 


FLAG-RAISING,   WITH    AETILLERY   SALUTE. 

GENERAL  BUTTERFIELD  said :  The  ceremony  of 
this  morning  is  fitting  as  to  locality,  since  here  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk  the  first  flag  of  the  Union  was  dis- 
played on  a  battle-field  under  fire  upon  the  plains  of  Oris- 
kany,  and  the  first  great  victory  won  under  that  flag 
echoed  the  sounds  of  its  guns  here  from  near-by  Saratoga. 

It  is  proper,  since,  beginning  with  the  war  of  1812,  when 
the  notices  posted  in  the  streets  and  highways  of  Sche- 
nectady and  Saratoga  counties  called  for  recruits  from 
men  of  patriotism  and  valor  to  enlist  under  Jonas  Hol- 
land, an  officer  of  Union  College,  down  through  every  war 
on  sea  or  land,  from  the  foundation  of  this  college  to  date, 
its  sous  have  rallied  under  that  flag. 

It  is  fitting  and  proper  also,  since  that  manhood  which 
has  been  instilled  and  imbibed  and  inheres  in  the  very 
walls,  paths,  and  shades  of  old  Union  has  ever  and  will, 
may  God  gi*ant !  rally  to  uphold,  protect,  and  defend  the 
emblem  of  our  nationality. 


336  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Let  the  flag  be  raised  !^  and  let  us  greet  it — 

It  is  not  my  province  to  speak  of  Union's  sons  and 
their  work  under  that  flag.  That  honor,  duty,  and  plea- 
sure is  left  with  the  gentleman  whom  I  shall  have  the 
houor  to  present  to  you.  I  may  not  overstep  the  bounds 
of  my  allotted  duty,  nor  trespass  upon  the  preparations 
of  this  occasion,  by  any  eulogium  or  apostrophe  to  our 
"old  glory."  The  Fourth  of  July  is  coming,  and  from 
every  corner  of  the  land  will  echo  and  reecho  with  pride 
and  fervor  such  sentiments. 

As  Union  College  has  nobly  carried  on  the  work,  so 
gracefully  outlined  by  the  orators  of  last  evening,  of 
practical  education,  of  making  men  of  thought  and  deci- 
sion of  character,  I  may  say  that  now  and  here  and  else- 
where, its  sons,  quick  in  the  intuitive  perception  of  the 
thoughts  and  minds  of  the  people  and  of  duty,  see  no 
longer  any  danger  of  humiliation  to  that  emblem,  save 
that  it  comes  through  the  indecision  or  the  want  of  reali- 
zation, by  some  chosen  servant  of  the  people,  of  what  that 
flag  means,  outside  of  its  glory  and  its  history  and  its 
typical  character,  as  the  emblem  of  a  nation  of  free  citi- 
zens. It  means,  and  it  must  mean,  and  shall  mean,  if  the 
will  of  the  people  is  obeyed,  protection  at  any  cost,  in  any 
clime,  on  any  sea  or  shore,  to  the  just  and  sacred  rights 
and  privileges  of  every  American  citizen ;  protection  to 
their  persons,  their  property,  the  trade  and  commerce  of 
the  American  people  as  individuals  and  as  a  nation. 

And  it  is  part  of  the  teachings  of  this  college,  by  its 
traditions,  its  customs,  and  its  spirit,  that  its  sons  shall 
always  insist  and  lead  in  upholding  that  principle. 

Of  what  its  sons  have  done  in  the  century  of  the  exis- 
tence of  the  college,  Major  Austin  A.  Yates,  a  son  of 
Union,  gallant,  eloquent,  and  patriotic,  whom  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  introducing,  will  now  speak  to  you.    [Cheers.] 

1  At  this  instant  the  flag  was  raised  on  Memorial  Hall  as  the  General  waved 
his  hand.  It  was  greeted  with  cheers  and  the  singing  of  the  "  Star-Spangled 
Banner." 


ADDRESS 

BY  MAJOR  AUSTIN  A.   YATES. 

Of  the  Class  of  1854. 

Backward,  turn  backward,  old  time  on  your  way; 
Make  us  all  boys  again,  just  for  to-day! 

DKOP  the  curtain  on  tliis  brilliant  scene.  Reverse 
the  panorama  and  roll  it  back  from  the  close  to  the 
center  of  the  century.  As  it  rises  again,  look  with  calm 
judgment  in  these  days  of  peace  on  the  young  nation 
and  the  old  college  in  the  days  of  war! 

The  United  States  in  the  fifties.  The  land  of  the  free 
and  the  home  of  the  brave !  So  it  was  in  song  and  story 
as  we  sang  and  told  it.  If  it  was  so,  then  have  the  great 
soldiers  of  Union  living,  and  her  greater  dead,  fought  and 
suffered  and  died  in  vain  ! 

The  land  of  the  free  ?  The  dead  beneath  us  have  re- 
deemed the  mightiest  republican  empire  of  earth  from 
the  curse  of  the  Northern  doughface  and  the  shame  of 
the  Southern  slave ! 

The  land  of  the  free,  and  its  highest  tribunal  presided 
over  by  a  Northern  judge,  had  declared  that  there  were 
a  million  and  more  among  us  who,  by  reason  of  change 
of  complexion  caused  by  exposure  to  God's  free  sun,  had 
no  rights  which  a  white  man  was  bound  to  respect ! 

The  land  of  the  free.  In  its  sunniest  half  the  whistle 
of  the  Yankee  overseer's  whip,  the  moan  of  the  bereaved 

99  337 


338  UNION    COLLEGE. 

mother  at  the  foot  of  the  auction-block,  the  hanging  of 
the  abolitionist,  and  the  banishment  of  the  school-marm. 

In  the  colder,  sterner  North,  the  doughface  bending 
the  supple  hinges  of  the  knee,  that  political  thrift  might 
follow  the  demagogue's  fawning.  Obedience  to  the  in- 
famous Fugitive  Slave  Law  driving  the  citizen  to  chas- 
ing the  African  to  his  fetters.  Disobedience  to  that  law 
stealing  him  over  the  underground  railroad,  our  good  old 
Moses,  whom  I  remember  in  the  early  fifties  as  a  prom- 
ising old  gentleman  of  apparently  seventy-five,  being  the 
first  consignment  to  Dr.  Nott,  a  local  director.  The  lonely 
abolitionist  receiving  about  as  much  consideration  from 
Silver-gray  and  Woolly-head  Whigs,  Old  Hunker  and 
Barnburner  Democrats,  as  a  Prohibitionist  from  Chi  Psi, 
Sig,  or  Delt — shouting,  sometimes  dying,  for  the  immor- 
tal principle  that  is  to-day  the  doctrine  of  the  world  all 
around  from  Russia  to  Japan.  "Wherever  Ood  Almighty 
gives  the  form  of  man,  whatever  may  be  his  complexion, 
he  gives  there  the  feelings  and  the  rights  of  man." 

The  laud  of  the  brave  were  we  1  We  were  fresh  in  the 
recollection  of  the  Mexican  war.  We  had  taken  up  a 
nasty  little  quarrel  over  a  line  fence  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
that  a  suit  in  trespass  before  a  country  squire  should 
have  settled,  and  with  the  strength  of  a  young  giant  had 
pounded  the  life  out  of  a  little  neighbor  republic,  held 
her  up  like  a  Western  footpad,  and  robbed  her  of  Cali- 
fornia and  its  gold.  No  wonder  that  the  shameful  story 
has  been  denounced  by  the  most  generous,  the  most  mag- 
nanimous, the  greatest  soldier  of  his  day,  Ulysses  Grant. 

And  abroad  in  the  harbor  of  the  barbarian,  when  the 
citizen  of  the  land  of  the  brave  and  the  home  of  the  free 
was  insulted,  he  promptly  took  his  endangered  life  under 
the  British  flag,  the  flag  his  father  had  conquered.  Well 
he  might!  For  there  lay  there  nothing  representative  of 
the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  except 
perhaps  a  silent  man-of-war  of  the  capacity  and  endur- 


ADDRESS.  339 

auee  of  a  bull-liead  oanal-l)oat,  with  a  fow  brie-a-brac 
cannon,  captured  in  1812,  along  the  sides,  and  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  drooping  in  appropriate  shame  from  her 
stern. 

In  the  United  States  Senate  a  courteous  and  accom- 
plished scholar  of  Harvard,  a  statesman  renowned  on  both 
continents,  a  Uint<Ml  States  Senator,  was  clubbed  into 
insensibility  from  behind,  and  the  assailant  rewarded  with 
a  gold-headed  cane  by  an  admiring  constituency.  And 
this  was  the  land  of  the  brave  ! 

Under  the  tlag  that  waves  in  triumph,  beside  the  roses 
that  flame  in  pride,  over  the  graves  of  Peissner,  Strong, 
Jackson,  Newbury,  and  McConihe,  and  above  the  little 
shelter-tents  of  the  undiscovered  dead  where  in  pale 
sorrow  no  lily  droops,  let  us  thank  Grod  that  there  is  an- 
other, a  greater,  because  a  real,  land  of  the  free  and  home 
of  the  brave  over  which  old  Union  raises  the  flag  of  her 
country  to-day ! 

Union  in  the  last  of  the  fifties.  At  the  very  summit 
of  her  power  and  prestige.  The  third  largest  graduate 
list  in  the  land.  Its  roll  of  honor  the  most  brilliant  in 
America.  They  called  it  Botany  Bay.  It  was  a  snarl 
of  envy !  Its  majestic  President  cared  little  for  the 
record  of  the  men  who  came  here  from  other  colleges. 
He  wanted  no  ready-made  divines  or  statesmen  or 
judges.  The  rougher  and  coarser  the  stone,  the  greater 
his  pride  in  the  intellectual  sculpture  of  which  he  was 
a  perfect  master.  A  wondrous  judge  of  human  nature, 
with  the  suavity  and,  if  need  be,  the  sternness  of  Riche- 
lieu. More  than  any  man  in  history  I  think  he  resembled 
the  great  cardinal.  He  preferred  to  carve  character  and 
brain  with  his  own  unaided  skill,  and  that  others  had 
not  succeeded  never  discouraged  him.  His  strength  was 
waning,  but  the  day  had  not  long  passed  when  every 
State  officer  of  New  York  was  a  Union  graduate,  and 
Senate  and  Assembly  his  children  by  a  large  majority. 


340  UNION    COLLEGE. 

When  it  was  his  will,  he  controlled  the  State  from  the 
little  study  where  so  many  of  ns  had  been  made  to  swell 
with  pride  or  to  quail  with  terror.  With  governors, 
judges,  senators,  and  men  whose  names  were  household 
words  all  over  the  world  beside  him,  his  commanding 
presence  in  the  center  of  the  silk-robed  professors,  the 
Commencement  stage  beggared  the  dignity  and  impor- 
tance of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

It  was  Union  College.  Union  of  hearts  and  union  of 
hands  that  no  disunion  of  lands  for  four  years  has  ever 
severed.  Many  went  from  us  to  the  other  side.  Mis- 
taken ?  Yes,  they  should  have  fought  where  their  vigor- 
ous youth  was  passed,  inside  Union.  But  mistaken  cour- 
age is  still  courage.  Political  blunders  cannot  detract  from 
the  splendid  heroism  that  has  redeemed  in  the  blood  of 
Union's  children  all  the  condemnation  that  can  be  visited 
upon  a  man  who  fights  with  stubborn  bravery  in  the 
doorway  of  his  home.  Many  a  Union  man  was  a  Con- 
federate soldier  of  untarnished  name.  No  Union  man 
was  ever  a  traitor.  And  there  is  a  mighty  gulf  between 
a  traitor  and  a  soldier  of  his  State. 

So  shake,  Johnnie,  our  hands  are  outstretched.  We 
remember  you  well.  Fiery,  hasty,  so  sensitive  as  to 
wounded  honor,  a  very  Harry  Hotspur.  But  brave,  true, 
and  generous,  the  Southerner  had  no  enemies  at  Union 
—  has  no  enemies  now.  Your  immortal  courage  was 
American  courage,  your  heroism  was  the  honor  of  Old 
Union.  Here  's  our  hand.  Don't  let  us  be  any  longer 
than  in  the  old  days  in  finding  that  other  hand. 

In  '56  the  College  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
was  in  the  full  tide  of  its  power  and  usefulness.  It  fol- 
lowed and  often  preceded  the  action  of  the  National  Con- 
gress. A  tall,  fine-looking,  plainly  dressed  member  of  the 
House  had  attained  a  commanding  position.  He  was  as- 
signed to  representation  of  one  of  the  Southern  States. 
We  expected  to  hear  of  him  again,  and  we  did.    Out  in 


ADDRESS.  341 

Kansas  he  had  won  his  way  up  in  the  terrible  days  of 
the  border  wars,  in  the  fight  for  popular  sovereignty. 
He  was  appointed  attorney  for  the  United  States  to  for- 
ward the  work  of  an  administration  that  threw  its  whole 
inflnence  on  the  side  of  the  extension  of  slavery  in  the 
Territories.  But  to  all  who  expected  that  Alson  C.  Davis 
would  do  a  wrong  to  his  countrymen,  or  be  false  to 
his  country,  he  was  a  bitter  disappointment.  With  all 
his  strong  personality  he  espoused  the  cause  of  human 
liberty  throughout  the  world.  He  won  a  splendid  battle 
and  made  the  State  that  honored  him  forever  free.  He 
was  the  first  of  Union  men  in  the  struggle,  he  was  a  pio- 
neer of  the  advancing  cause  that  has  driven  human  slavery 
from  the  earth.  As  colonel  of  volunteers  he  fought  the 
battle  through.  We  put  him  on  the  roll  of  honor  only  a 
little  while  ago.  As  a  hero  in  the  very  van  of  the  mighty 
struggle,  we  lay  on  the  grave  of  Colonel  Davis  the  honors 
Old  Union  would  gladly  strew  at  his  feet. 

The  war  sadly  broke  up  Union.  She  was  a  divided 
college,  but  excepting  those  who  went  to  their  homes  on 
the  secession  of  their  States,  she  was  intensely  loyal.  The 
martial  spirit  was  strong  within  her.  Before  the  gun  of 
Sumter  had  ceased,  the  sullen  echo  that  was  the  signal  of 
the  death  of  peace.  Captain  Jack's  son,  then  Inspector- 
General  of  the  State,  went  promptly  at  the  head  of  a 
splendid  regiment  that  the  prestige  of  his  name  quickly 
enlisted.  As  handsome  and  gallant  a  soldier  as  the  war 
produced,  his  superb  presence  and  ringing  command  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  all  as  he  marched  to  Bull  Run, 
the  melancholy  beginning  of  an  unprepared  people.  He 
fought  with  the  determined  heroism  of  a  veteran.  The 
son  of  Captain  Jack  was  of  fighting  stock.  He  returned 
to  Washington  to  die  a  long  and  lingering  death  of  rest- 
less fever,  fading  away  till  he  looked  so  like  death  in  life 
that  they  know  not  when  he  died.  The  war  had  come 
home  to  Union,  and  they  laid  Colonel  William  A.  Jackson 
22* 


342  UNION    COLLEGE. 

in  yonder  valley,  beneath  the  granite  block  that  proudly 
marks  the  resting-place  of  the  first  of  Union's  immortal 
dead. 

In  the  old  Grivens  Hotel  a  brevet  second  lieutenant, 
U.  S.  A.,  in  '60  sat  among  us  in  all  the  glory  of  his  glit- 
tering uniform.  We  looked  at  him  with  hushed  interest. 
The  mutter  of  the  coming  storm  was  in  the  Southern 
sky,  its  very  shadow  in  the  air.  A  mighty  good  fellow 
who  left  us  for  the  front.  I  never  saw  him  again.  We 
read  of  Captain  Strong,  of  Major  Strong,  of  Colonel 
Strong,  as  he  rose  with  promotion  for  gallantry;  and  then 
we  read  of  the  charge  of  General  Strong,  of  his  heroic 
death  as  he  fell  at  the  foot  of  the  flagstaff  at  Wagner. 
Only  a  lad,  and  the  story  of  his  bravery  was  sounding 
through  the  world ! 

But  the  martial  spirit  was  alive  at  Union.  Daily  the 
College  Zouaves  drilled  and  marched.  At  their  head  a 
tall,  slight,  but  wiry  and  muscular  German,  a  soldier  by 
education  and  experience,  of  ripe  culture  and  courtly 
manners,  the  companion  of  Schurz,  a  professor  at  Union. 
A  beautiful  company,  those  College  Zouaves,  as  they 
marched  through  the  streets  of  Schenectady.  An  insub- 
ordinate company ;  for,  when  the  command  was  "-guide 
right "  and  the  girl  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  street. 
Captain  Peissner  got  left.  So  did  the  girl,  for  the  call 
was  to  other  arms  than  hers.  Very  gay  the  College 
Zouaves  in  their  red,  white,  and  blue.  But  the  sullen 
roar  of  battle,  resounding  with  increasing  volume,  broke 
up  the  holiday  parade  of  the  College  Zouaves.  It  meant 
no  more  picnics,  no  more  smiling  faces  at  the  windows, 
no  more  balls  at  night.  It  meant  to  many  the  bivouac 
instead  of  the  picnic,  the  hardtack  instead  of  the  straw- 
berry ice,  the  skulking  sharp-shooter  instead  of  the  girl's 
smiling  face,  the  lonely  picket  instead  of  the  music  and  the 
dancing  feet.  It  meant  another  and  ghastlier  red,  white, 
and  blue  —  the  red  blood   ebbing  from  the  heart,  the 


ADDEESS.  343 

white  face  upturned  to  the  sky,  the  bhie  coat  spread  on 
the  sentry  line.  It  meant  all  this  and  more  to  their  com- 
mander. Three  men  of  Union  in  the  awful  carnage  of 
May  3  at  Chancellorsville  stood  by  the  flag  deserted  by 
all  but  themselves.  Three  men  of  Union  called  on  the 
flying  hosts  to  rally.  But  the  three  men  of  Union  stood 
alone.  Two  fell  dead  in  their  stubborn  valor.  The  other, 
a  son  of  Tayler  Lewis,  dropped  with  a  shattered  arm. 
Stonewall  Jackson's  men  tenderly  raised  the  dead  and 
sent  them  through  the  lines  that  stood  with  uncovered 
heads  as  tlie  last  of  General  Peissner  and  Captain 
Schwerin  went  by.  The  war  was  home  to  Union  then, 
writing  fast  on  the  list  of  her  deathless  names. 

For  two  years  Union  was  in  control  of  the  entire  opera- 
tions of  the  Federal  army.  Henry  Wager  Halleck  was 
commanding  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  General 
James  B.  Duane  was  engineer-in-chief  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  The  Secretary  of  State  was  William  H. 
Seward.  Halleck's  management  was  not  brilliant,  and 
it  has  been  severely  criticized.  The  great  Premier  has 
been  the  target  of  those  who  know  little  of  the  situation 
at  that  day.  The  marvelous  aftersight,  always  infallible 
as  it  is  cheap,  perpetually  commenting  on  the  impossible 
foresight,  tires  the  soldier.  Wondrous  prophets  of  the 
past !  Predicters  of  the  bygone  !  With  superb  futures 
behind  you !  How  little  you  know  of  that  day  and  gen- 
eration !  Halleck  was  no  slower  than  the  astute  Prime 
Minister,  no  slower  than  the  patient  President,  Al)raham 
Lincoln,  the  Americans'  earthly  God.  "Festina  lente" 
was  the  motto  of  the  hour.  The  North  was  honeycombed 
with  traitors  —  infinitely  more  dangerous  as  they  were 
infinitely  more  contemptible  than  the  brave  rebels  whom 
the  soldier  honors  to-day. 

Do  you  remember  that  when  war  began  in  earnest, 
when  at  last  the  command  thundered  four  thousand  years 
ago  in  behalf  of  the  bondsman,  "  Let  my  people  go!"  was 


344  UNION    COLLEGE. 

at  last  obeyed,  the  streets  of  New  York  ran  red  with  blood, 
orphans  fled  from  the  doors  of  the  flamhig  asylum,  and 
the  African  wherever  found  was  swung  to  the  lamp-post  f 
"  Festina  lente,"  hasten  slowly.  Raise  high  on  our  roll  of 
honor,  in  the  name  of,  in  loyalty  to,  our  grand  new  college, 
the  names  of  Halleck  and  Seward.  Send  the  soldier  down 
to  posterity  with  Grant  and  Sherman  and  Sheridan ; 
the  incomparable  statesman  with  Webster  and  Calhoun, 
Marcy  and  Blaine. 

Read  down  the  roll,  and  remember,  as  I  send  out  the 
names  I  find,  that  the  flag  we  raise  to-day  floats  high  be- 
cause they  lie  low  in  death  beneath  it ! 

Let  the  soldier  of  New  York  first  express  his  gratitude 
to  the  great  quartermaster-general  of  the  State  who  fed 
and  clothed  us,  watched  over  us  with  a  fatherly  care  af- 
terward, the  most  courtly,  accomplished,  and  graceful 
President  of  the  United  States  since  the  day  of  Madisou, 
Chester  A.  Arthur. 

All  honor  to  the  professor's  and  bishop's  son,  of  the 
church  militant  himself,  shot  in  the  breast  at  Newberu, 
returniug  to  duty  and  to  battle,  marching  first  into  Rich- 
mond, Major-Greneral  Robert  B.  Potter. 

Hartranft,  soldier,  statesman,  major-general,  governor. 

General  Tibbitts,  very  near  the  end  and  home,  falling 
in  battle,  closing  in  death  a  long  and  brilliant  service. 

Sam  Barstow,  driven  from  the  field  by  the  hand  of 
death,  the  only  power  that  could  take  him  from  the  front, 
to  die  on  the  hospital  cot. 

Colonel  John  McConihe,  sent  to  his  everlasting  rest  in 
the  trenches  of  Cold  Harbor,  found  with  his  head  upon 
his  arm,  as  his  chum  had  seen  him  when  the  chapel  bell 
rang. 

Captain  Samuel  Newbury,  falling  amid  the  crashing 
trees,  the  roaring  scream  of  battle,  in  the  pathless  Wilder- 
ness. 


ADDKESS.  345 

But  there  are  others.  Tlie  unsung,  but  never  unliou- 
ored ;  those  who  wore  neither  chevron  nor  stripe,  eagle 
nor  star;  the  grandest  patriots  of  all,  the  unrewarded 
privates  in  the  ranks. 

And  with  unfeigned  sadness,  in  sincerest  sorrow.  Union 
sends  down  from  its  great  heart,  within  the  old  gray 
walls,  its  words  of  tenderest  sympathy  to  those  who 
moui-n  their  dead  in  gray.  In  life  they  fought,  the  blue 
and  the  gray ;  in  death  they  are  not  divided.  And  the 
tlag  we  raise  floats  lovingly,  as  the  sun  shines,  over  all ! 

Survivors :  Union  tells  me  to  bid  you  welcome  —  come 
you  in  butternut  or  blue.  Meredith  of  the  navy,  who 
stood  at  the  mast  with  Farragut  at  Mobile ;  Fred  Town- 
send,  Brigadier-General,  U.  S.  A.,  one  of  the  first  to  raise 
the  cheers  of  Union.  Douchy,  captain  of  artillery;  Major 
Frank  Martindale;  Major  Fox,  whose  contribution  to 
the  literature  of  the  war  has  raised  a  good  soldier  high 
in  the  republic  of  letters;  Colonel  Allan  H.  Jackson,  the 
beloved  commander  of  the  134th;  Colonel  John  Buster 
Yates,  of  '52,  who  verified  the  destructive  name  the  Belts 
gave  him  by  painting  red,  with  burning  bridges,  as  col- 
onel of  engineers,  the  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea. 

You  need  not  answer,  your  names  are  on  your  country's 
muster-roll ! 

And  now  let  the  command  go  down  the  line !  To  the 
highest  ranking  officer  of  us  all,  let  the  living  present 
arms !  Presiding  over  us,  the  man  who  has  ridden  through 
shot  and  shell  for  every  year  through  the  mightiest  strug- 
gle of  the  century.  The  commander  of  a  brigade,  a  di- 
vision, and  of  an  army  corps,  twice  wounded  and  in 
twenty-eight  battles,  the  chief  of  statf  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  the  honored,  trusted  friend  of  Lincoln,  Sher- 
man, Grant,  Sheridan,  and  Meade,  the  generous  friend 
of  Union,  the  patron  of  American  culture,  of  which  he 
is  a  distinguished  ornament — every  soldier  and  son  of 


346  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Union  salutes  Major-General  Daniel  Butterfield,  of  the 
Armies  of  the  United  States !  [Tremendous  applause 
and  cheers.] 

With  malice  toward  none,  with  more  than  charity,  in 
honor  to  you  all,  now  the  final  roll-call  of  the  great 
reconstructed. 

Bob  Toombs,  of  Union  and  of  Georgia,  great  states- 
man and  bad  prophet,  declared  he  would  call  the  roll  of 
his  slaves  beneath  the  shadow  of  Bunker  Hill.  Union 
will  call  a  nobler  roll,  that  of  the  unconquerable  defeated, 
beneath  the  grateful  shade  of  Memorial  Hall.  General 
Printop,  brave  always,  honored  in  defeat.  Roy  Pierre 
Antoine,  captain  of  Confederate  artillery,  before  whose 
guns  some  of  us  groveled  in  the  grass.  Colonel  Hutch- 
inson, of  Morgan's  cavalry,  in  front  of  whose  charge  we 
gamboled  on  the  green.  Colonel  Picot,  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Losee,  did  you  get  the  worst  of  it  ?  If  you  are  with 
us,  stay  with  us ;  we  will  give  you  the  best  of  it  now. 

All  over!  No  trace  or  track!  Earthwork  and  em- 
bankment and  fortress  leveled,  the  rifle-pits  closed  by 
the  hands  of  a  single  generation.  All  the  rancor  and 
bitterness  of  the  strife  vanishing  and  impalpable  as  the 
dust  and  ashes  in  the  casket  and  the  coffin  of  the  blue 
and  the  gray.  No  discord  in  the  song  of  the  land  of  the 
free  and  the  home  of  the  brave,  no  ghastly  burlesque 
now.  And  when  the  lips  which  have  spoken  to-day  shall 
be  voiceless  in  the  grave,  and  the  hand  that  records  the 
doings  of  the  old  college  Centennial  day  pulseless  in  the 
tomb,  succeeding  generations  of  Union,  children  in  the 
class-room  and  on  the  grand  old  seat  of  stone,  will  hold 
in  lasting  remembrance  the  names  of  Union's  soldier 
dead !    [Applause.] 

Geneeal  Buttekfield  said :  Weston  Flint,  a  son  of 
Old  Union,  of  the  class  of  1860,  will  close  our  ceremonies 
here  with  four  stanzas  of  poetry  for  the  Old  Flag. 


ADDKESS.  347 

Mk.  Flint  : 

THE   OLD   FLAG. 

Fling  out  the  Old  Baimer,  let  fold  after  fold 
Enshrine  a  new  g'lory  as  each  is  unfurled ; 

Let  it  speak  to  our  hearts,  still  as  sweet  as  of  old, 
The  herald  of  freedom  all  over  the  world. 

Let  it  float  out  in  triumph,  let  it  wave  overhead, 
The  noble  old  ensign,  its  stripes  and  its  stars ; 

It  gave  us  our  freedom,  o'ershadows  our  dead. 
Grave  might  to  our  heroes,  makes  sacred  their  scars. 

Let  it  wave  in  the  sunbeams,  unfurl  in  the  storm. 
Our  beacon  at  morning,  our  guardian  by  night. 

When  Peace  shines  in  splendor  athwart  her  bright  form, 
Or  War's  bloody  hand  holds  the  standard  of  might. 

Unfurl  the  Old  Banner,  its  traitors  crush  down. 

Let  it  still  be  the  banner  that  covers  the  brave  — 
The  starry-gemmed  banner  with  glory  we  own, 

'T  is  too  noble  a  banner  for  tyrant  or  slave. 


Ziyt  College  in  |)rofej^^ional  Hife* 

W.  H.  Helme  Moohe,  of  the  Class  of  1844,  pkesiding. 

Mr.  Moore,  on  taking  the  chair,  spoke  as  follows : 

BRETHREN,  Alumni,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  Some 
of  the  small  rivers  are  associated  with  large  results. 
For  example:  Rome  on  the  Tiber,  and  London  on  the 
Thames.  We  are  specially  interested  these  days  in  Union 
College  and  Schenectady  on  the  Mohawk. 

Having  learned,  from  legal  training  and  long  experi- 
ence, to  admire  and  love  the  just  principles  and  clear 
equities  of  commercial  law,  it  seems  fitting  for  me  to  say 
a  few  preliminary  words  on  the  influence  of  Union  Col- 
lege on  commerce  and  transportation.  The  lessons  here 
acquired  and  the  studies  here  pursued  which  do  not  ap- 
pear in  any  curriculum  have  been  very  productive. 

Of  the  early  navigation  of  the  Mohawk  I  need  cite  only 
one  or  two  sentences  of  romance.  When  the  great  In- 
dian chieftain,  "  the  Eagle  of  the  Mohawks,"  stood  on  the 
banks  of  this  river  and  was  about  departing  forever,  "  a 
mingled  expression  of  grief  and  anger  passed  over  his 
countenance  as  he  watched  a  loaded  boat  in  its  passage 
down  the  river.  '  The  white  man  carries  food  to  his  wife 
and  children  and  finds  them  at  home.  Where  is  the  squaw 
and  papoose  of  the  red  man  f ' "     And  again  :  "  No  light 


ADDRESS.  349 

canoe  then  shot  down  the  river  like  a  bird  upon  its  wing. 
The  laden  boat  of  the  white  man  alone  broke  its  smooth 
surface." 

The  students  who  came  here  from  the  South  or  from  the 
sea-board  and  first  saw  the  Mohawk  when  its  waters  were 
low,  thought  tliis  famous  river  a  very  insignificant  little 
stream.  They  wondered  why  the  bridges  over  it  were 
built  so  high ;  but  when  they  beheld  a  first-class  freshet 
in  midwinter,  as  the  floods  came  and  the  river  burst  its 
heavy  frozen  covering,  overflowed  its  banks,  swept  away 
barns,  bridges,  and  dwellings,  together  with  huge  blocks 
of  ice  which  went  crunching,  grinding,  and  breaking  down 
the  stream,  there  was  an  object-lesson  showing  the  ef- 
fects of  cold  u[)on  commerce  and  industry  over  a  large 
part  of  the  world.  There  was  an  exhibition  of  power, 
teaching  in  the  most  eloquent  and  impressive  manner 
the  perils  and  difficulties  which  commerce  and  enterprise 
have  to  contend  with. 

Fifty-two  or  -three  years  ago  an  important  legal  trial 
took  place  in  the  court-house  here  in  relation  to  damage 
caused  by  the  overflow  of  the  Mohawk.  Two  of  the  ablest 
lawyers  in  the  State  were  engaged,  and  one  Saturday  af- 
ternoon many  of  us  students  listened  to  their  summing 
up  before  a  jury.  Their  arguments  and  eloquence,  with 
some  of  their  telling  sentences,  have  not  been  forgotten. 
Two  or  three  years  afterward  it  was  my  privilege  to  listen 
to  one  of  them  who  was  employed  to  defend  the  city  of 
New  York  in  the  highest  court  of  this  State,  and  likewise 
to  Daniel  Webster  of  Massachusetts,  who  made  the  argu- 
ment against  him.  Mr.  Webster's  argument  was  that  the 
loss  occasioned  by  the  blowing  up  of  buildings  to  stop 
the  gi-eat  fire  of  1835  should  be  paid  for  by  the  city. 

A  century  ago  canals  were  a  commercial  success  in 
Europe,  and  were  studied  and  projected  here.  What  de- 
lightful sensations  the  first  students  and  the  jjrofessors 
also  enjoyed  in  reading  the  able  debates  and  State  papers 


350  UNION    COLLEGE. 

on  this  subject !  And  what  pleasing  anticipations  thrilled 
them  as  thej''  looked  upon  this  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Mohawk,  and  thought  of  its  becoming  the  great  channel 
of  communication  between  the  civilization  of  the  East 
and  the  wilderness  of  the  far  West!  And  when  these 
anticipations  wei'e  realized,  and  the  artillery  guns,  at  right 
distances  apart,  tiring  in  quick  succession,  carried  the  in- 
telligence that  Buffalo  was  united  to  New  York  and  the 
waters  of  the  Great  Lakes  with  the  Atlantic  Ocean — what 
rejoicing!  And  who  can  now  estimate  how  much  this 
channel  contributed  to  the  commercial  power  and  great- 
ness not  only  of  the  city  of  New  York,  but  of  the  State 
and  our  country  at  large? 

When  the  water-borne  vessels  through  this  valley  had 
already  accomplished  grand  results,  then  came  the  rail- 
roads. You  are  aware  that  one  of  the  first  in  this  country 
was  between  Albany  and  Schenectady ;  and  it  was  appro- 
priately named  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson.  The  table- 
land between  these  two  valleys  was  reached  by  inclined 
planes  with  their  stationary  engines. 

For  about  ten  years  the  plane  at  Schenectady,  within 
convenient  walking-distance  from  the  college,  furnished 
its  own  instruction.  Members  of  the  class  of  '44  enjoyed 
it,  and  watched  the  construction  of  the  new  road  around, 
by  which  it  was  superseded. 

Three  or  four  railroads  concentrated  here ;  and  the 
largest  depot  the  students  had  ever  seen  or  known  was 
an  ornament  to  the  city.  But  it  was  a  wooden  struc- 
ture, and  somewhat  more  than  fifty  years  ago  it  was 
burned,  and  so  quickly  that  its  lessons  were  studied 
and  have  been  referred  to  ever  since. 

To  return  to  our  first  thought  —  there  is  another  small 
river,  which  empties  into  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  which 
we  hope  will  at  no  distant  day  be  the  location  of  a  ship- 
canal,  with  which  Union  College  will  be  honorably  asso- 
ciated —  a  waterway  that  shall  connect  the  Atlantic  and 


ADDRESS.  351 

the  Pacific,  and  with  vast  benefit  and  blessing  add  to  the 
ocean  power  of  this  country  and  the  world. 

Thus  I  liave  hastily  glanced  at  a  single  feature  of  that 
wonderful  progress  to  which  not  merely  the  legal,  but  all 
the  learned  professions  stand  so  closely  related. 

But  not  to  delay  you,  my  friends,  we  have  as  our  theme 
at  this  time  and  place.  Union  College  in  Professional  Life  ; 
and  I  have  great  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  a  gentle- 
man identified  with  these  new  ways  of  navigation,  and 
all  the  interests  which  grow  from  civilization,  law,  and 
order,  the  Hon.  J.  Newton  Fiero,  of  the  class  of  '67,  late 
President  of  the  New  York  State  Bar  Association,  who 
will  now  address  you.     [Applause.] 


ADDRESS 

BY  J.  NEWTON  FIERO, 

Of  the  Class  of  1867. 
UNION   COLLEGE   UPON   THE   BENCH   AND   AT   THE   BAR. 

'XTTHY  may  we  not  proceed  further,  and  affirm  confi- 
▼  ▼  dently  that  the  profession  of  the  law  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred before  all  other  human  professions  and  sciences,  as 
being  most  noble  for  the  matter  and  subject  thereof,  most 
necessary  for  the  common  and  continued  use  thereof,  and 
most  meritorious  for  the  good  effects  it  doth  produce  in 
the  commonwealth  ? " 

How  far  Union  College  has  during  the  first  half  of  the 
century  of  her  existence  given  a  practical  answer  to  this 
question,  propounded  nearly  four  hundred  years  ago  by 
Sir  John  Davy  in  the  preface  to  his  reports,  is  to  be  de- 
termined by  the  story  of  her  sons  who  have  devoted  their 
lives  to  the  practice  of  the  law  or  been  called  to  administer 
it  from  the  bench.  That  record  we  shall  give  in  brief  and 
incomplete  manner  unworthy  of  the  theme. 

A  consideration  presents  itself  at  the  outset  which  re- 
quires a  moment's  attention.  It  will  be  a  ground  for  just 
criticism  as  regards  the  contents  of  this  paper  that  undue 
space  is  devoted  to  those  graduates  who  have  attained 
distinction  by  virtue  of  holding  official  position,  and  that 
very  many  illustrious  men  have  been  passed  by  who  were 


ADDRESS.  353 

ornaments  to  the  bar,  in  some  instances  their  very  names 

being  ignored,  in  others  receiving  but  scanty  mention. 

This  may  arise  because  the  individual  opinion  of  the 
writer  as  to  the  phice  any  ahimnus  has  taken  in  the  minds 
of  the  public  may  not  be  that  which  by  common  consent 
is  accorded  him.  But  the  real  and  only  justifiable  excuse 
for  thus  passing  hastily  over  the  names  of  many  who  are 
entitled  to  be  recalled  upon  an  occasion  like  this  lies  in 
the  fact  that  as  to  lawyers  who  have  never  occupied  offi- 
cial position  the  records  and  even  traditions  are  so  scanty 
as  to  render  it  impossible  to  do  justice  to  their  merits  or 
fairly  to  recall  the  story  of  their  lives  and  influence. 
When  to  this  is  added  the  brief  space  of  time  allotted  for 
the  preparation  of  this  paper  and  the  necessity  for  inquiry 
and  research  in  many  directions,  it  will  be  fully  appre- 
ciated that  it  is  not  only  difficult,  but  almost  impossible 
to  render  the  proper  meed  of  praise  to  all  the  illustrious 
names  to  be  found  upon  the  roll  of  graduates  of  Union  at 
the  bar  and  on  the  bench. 

Still  another  embarrassment  exists  in  the  fact  that  very 
many  of  her  illustrious  sons  are  so  well  known  in  our 
own  day  and  in  -  the  present  generation,  that  to  recall 
their  names  would  seem  to  be  a  work  of  supererogation, 
aside  from  the  difficulty  of  doing  justice  to  those  who  are 
still  engaged  in  the  active  duties  of  their  profession.  It 
has  therefore  seemed  better,  with  the  single  exception  of 
one  who  has  passed  away,  to  confine  this  paper  to  a  record 
of  a  few  of  the  leading  lawyers  and  judges  who  graduated 
during  the  first  half  of  that  century  the  completion  of 
which  we  to-day  commemorate. 

In  the  first  class  graduated  from  Union  we  find  the 
names  of  three  clergymen,  but  not  a  single  lawyer.  A 
marked  improvement  is  found  in  1798,  which  graduated 
two  lawyers ;  and  in  1799  we  not  only  find  the  bar  fully 
represented,  but  the  bench  recognized  by  the  conferring 
of  an  honorary  degree  upon  Egbert  Benson,  then  justice 
23 


354  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  later  judge  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court. 

In  that  year  graduated  John  Savage,  who  survived 
until  1863,  receiving  from  the  college  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 
in  1829.  He  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State,  January  29, 1823  ;  and  until  1836  pre- 
sided over  that  court,  having  as  associates  such  eminent 
jurists  as  Samuel  Nelson,  G-reen  C.  Bronson,  and  William 
L.  Marcy.  His  opinions  are  to  be  found  in  the  volumes 
of  Cowen  and  Wendell,  and  do  credit  to  his  early  training. 

Samuel  A.  Foote  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1811,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1813.  After  a  long  and  distin- 
guished service  at  the  bar,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals  in  1851.  It  was  said  by  Judge  Folger, 
on  behalf  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1878,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight :  "  He  was  the  living 
link  which  held  in  one  three  successive  judicial  organiza- 
tions. He  began  the  practice  of  the  law  before  any  one 
now  sitting  on  this  bench  was  born,  and  he  continued  it 
in  full  vigor  of  mind  and  body  until  the  day  of  his  death." 

In  1818,  with  Bishops  Alonzo  Potter  and  George  W. 
Doane,  was  graduated  Sidney  Breese.  Taking  up  his 
residence  in  Illinois  immediately  after  graduating,  he  was 
almost  constantly  in  official  position  in  that  State,  dis- 
charging public  trusts  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1878, 
—  successively  district  attorney,  reporter  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  senator  of  the  United  States,  and  chief  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  He  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  ablest  jurists  who  has  occupied  a  place  upon  the 
bench  of  that  State,  possessing  a  character  of  great  intel- 
lectual vigor  and  absolute  independence. 

The  name  of  William  H.  Seward,  of  1820,  is  so  thor- 
oughly associated  in  the  mind  of  every  graduate  of  Union 
with  his  record  as  a  statesman,  that  it  seems  like  trench- 
ing upon  the  ground  of  others  to  mention  his  name  in 
connection  with  his  career  at  the  bar;  yet  it  would  be  a 


ADDRESS.  355 

manifest  injustice  to  pass  by  the  i-ecord  of  Mr.  Seward 
as  a  lawyer.  That  he  was  eminently  successful  at  the  bar 
as  a  very  young  man  is  a  matter  which  has  a  basis  much 
more  substantial  tlian  mere  tradition,  and  none  can  listen 
without  pleasure  to  the  well-authenticated  anecdote  il- 
histrating  liis  confidence  and  courage  upon  his  first  argu- 
ment before  Chancellor  Walworth  in  the  Court  of  Chan- 
cery. The  story  is  told  by  one  of  his  friends  and  admirers 
as  follows : 

Seward's  manner  when  he  began  his  argument  was 
that  of  exceeding  diffidence.  To  add  to  his  embarrass- 
ment, the  chancellor  began  to  ply  him  with  questions  and 
suggestions.  At  length,  when  the  questions  became  too 
frequent,  the  young  lawyer  paused  in  his  argument  and 
took  his  seat. 

"Why  do  you  not  proceed  with  your  argument?"  was 
asked  in  some  surprise. 

"  I  beg  leave  to  say,"  said  Seward,  "  if  your  honor  will 
permit,  that  until  now  I  never  understood  the  arguments 
in  the  Court  of  Chancery  were  conducted  in  the  form 
of  dialogue  with  the  court,  and  not  understanding  that 
practice,  I  am  unwilling  to  proceed." 

"  Proceed,  sir,  proceed  with  your  argument,"  said  the 
chancellor;  "you  shall  continue  it  uninterrupted."  And 
no  further  interruption  occurred. 

After  retiring  from  the  State  Senate,  Seward's  legal 
career  covered  a  period  of  little  over  four  years;  but 
during  that  time  the  celebrated  cases  of  The  People  v. 
Freeman  and  The  People  v.  Wyatt,  in  both  of  which  he 
appeared  for  the  prisoner,  gave  him  a  wide-spread  and 
solid  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  he  having  in  the  latter  case 
interposed,  for  perhaps  the  first  time,  the  defense  of  moral 
insanity,  which  has  since  become  so  popular,  insisting 
that  "persons  who  are  the  subjects  of  natural  or  con- 
genital derangement  are  not  morally  accountaljle,  because, 
though  they  may  know  an  act  to  be  wrong,  they  cannot 


356  UNION    COLLEGE. 

refrain  from  doing  it,  being  irresistibly  compelled  to  its 
commission." 

Mr.  Seward's  argument  to  the  jury  in  that  case,  although 
unsuccessful,  is  said  by  one  who  was  present  to  have  ri- 
valed Erskine's  famous  defense  of  Hadfield  under  a  like 
plea. 

Hiram  Gray  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1821,  and 
survived  until  a  very  recent  date,  having  been  a  member 
of  the  Commission  of  Appeals  appointed  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Constitution  of  1869,  which  constituted  as 
such  commission  four  judges  of  the  Court  of  Appeals 
then  in  office,  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  calendar 
of  that  court,  and  authorized  the  governor  to  appoint  a 
fifth  commissioner. 

In  the  same  year  was  graduated  Philo  T.  Ruggles,  who 
at  his  death  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  living 
alumnus  of  the  college.  Although  not  distinguished  as 
an  advocate,  and  holding  no  judicial  position,  he  exer- 
cised judicial  functions  during  a  period  extending  over 
very  many  yeai's,  and  relating  to  matters  of  the  utmost 
importance,  since  by  virtue  of  his  judicial  temperament, 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  inflexible  integrity, 
he  was  selected  alike  by  courts  and  litigants  as  referee 
to  determine  controversies  involving  most  important 
quesions  of  law  and  fact,  as  well  as  very  large,  varied, 
and  important  financial  interests. 

John  A.  Lott  was  of  1823.  After  holding  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  he  became  a  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals  in  1869 ;  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  Commission  of  Appeals  was  selected  as  chief  com- 
missioner, and  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity  during 
the  continuance  of  the  commission  and  until  the  com- 
pletion of  the  work  assigned  it  under  the  Constitution. 

In  1824  graduated  Ira  Harris,  who  not  only  represented 
the  State  with  honor  in  the  United  States  Senate,  but 


ADDRESS.  357 

discharged  the  duties  of  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
under  the  7iew  Coustitution  in  a  singularly  felicitous  man- 
ner, rounding  ont  a  successful  and  honorable  career  as 
one  of  the  fonnders  of  and  lecturers  in  the  Albany  Law 
School,  and  acting  for  a  brief  period  as  the  president  of 
Union  College ;  a  man  of  thoroughly  solid  attainments 
who  left  the  impress  of  his  personality  upon  those  with 
whom  he  associated  at  the  bar,  on  the  bench,  and  in  the 
lecture-room,  and  whose  name  is  one  of  those  the  sons 
of  Union  delight  to  honor.  His  long  and  honorable 
career  closed  in  1875. 

Amasa  J.  Parker,  of  1825,  who  passed  away  May,  1890, 
ripe  in  years  and  honors,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his 
age,  filled  a  large  place  in  the  history  of  the  bar  and  of 
the  bench  of  the  State.  Although  for  a  considerable 
period  —  from  1844  to  1855  —  he  was  a  justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  he  is  best  known  and  will  be  remembered 
most  distinctively  as  a  lawyer.  The  manner  of  his  gra- 
duation was  unique. 

He  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  took  charge, 
as  principal,  of  a  classical  school  at  Hudson,  which  he 
conducted  with  success.  Nearly  two  years  after  he  had 
assumed  charge  of  this  academy,  he  learned  that  the 
trustees  of  a  rival  educational  institution  at  Kinder- 
hook  boasted  of  an  advantage  enjoyed  over  the  Hudson 
Academy,  in  that  their  principal  was  a  college  graduate. 
Mr.  Parker  waited  until  the  close  of  the  school  year  at 
Hudson,  then  went  to  Schenectady.  There  he  was  pre- 
sented to  Dr.  Nott  and  Vice-President  Potter,  afterward 
Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  He  explained  his  visit,  and 
said  he  was  there  to  pass  his  four  years'  examination. 
The  faculty  approved  of  the  novel  application,  and  the 
full  examination  for  the  four  years'  course  was  success- 
fully passed  during  the  week,  and  he  took  his  diploma 
with  the  class  of  1825,  and,  returning  to  Hudson,  sent  word 

23* 


358  UNION    COLLEGE. 

to  his  friends  at  Kinderhook  that  their  boasted  advantage 
was  no  longer  good.  Subsequently  a  trustee  of  Union, 
he  was  always  loyal  to  its  interests. 

In  1851,  with  Judge  Ira  Han-is,  of  Union,  1821,  and 
Amos  Dean,  Union,  1826,  he  engaged  in  founding  the 
Albanj"  Law  School,  and  continued  as  one  of  its  lecturers 
for  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years,  preparing  in  the 
meantime  six  volumes  of  reports  of  criminal  cases  and 
assisting  in  the  editing  of  the  fifth  edition  of  the  Revised 
Statutes  of  the  State.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  advo- 
cates of  law  reform.  While  visiting  Europe  in  1853,  when 
such  reforms  were  under  consideration  in  England,  he 
addressed  the  Law  Reform  Club  at  its  annual  meeting, 
on  the  invitation  of  Lord  Brougham,  explaining  the  re- 
sults of  his  experience  on  the  bench,  as  to  the  changes 
that  had  been  made  in  this  State,  more  particularly  as  to 
the  administration  of  law  and  equity  in  the  same  court. 

From  1855  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Judge  Parker 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  bar  of  the  State, 
being  engaged  in  many  of  the  most  important  cases  in 
the  State  and  Federal  courts. 

Of  Amos  Dean,  1826,  we  have  spoken  in  connection 
with  the  founding  of  the  Albany  Law  School  in  collabo- 
ration with  two  other  eminent  graduates  of  Union. '  This 
school  in  1873  became  a  part  of  Union  University,  and  it 
is  very  largely  to  the  impetus  given  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Amos  Dean  that  it  early  attained  a  high  reputa- 
tion as  a  school  of  law. 

William  F.  Allen,  of  1826,  was  for  sixteen  years  a  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court,  for  two  terms  comptroller  of 
the  State,  and  for  eight  years  a  judge  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals.  It  was  well  said  of  him  :  "  He  filled  a  large  space 
in  the  annals  of  the  State."  The  qualities  which  charac- 
terized him  were  said  by  those  who  knew  him  most 
intimately  to  have  been  "  a  firm,  intelligent,  and  compre- 


ADDRESS.  359 

hensive  grasp  of  the  most  difficult  questions  iu  the  law, 
and  the  wisdom  which  he  bi'ought  to  bear  upon  the  solu- 
tion of  legal  controversies,"  as  well  as  the  "  facility  with 
which  he  could  comprehend  and  formulate  the  principles 
applicable  to  the  most  difficult  and  complicated  cases, 
and,  above  all,  his  independence  of  judicial  judgment  and 
fearlessness  with  which  he  adhered  to  and  enforced  his 
conviction  of  the  right."  It  was  a  well-deserved  tribute 
that  "through  an  extended  life  he  was  an  honor  to  his 
race,  to  his  profession  of  the  law,  and  to  his  judicial  office." 

Rufus  W.  Peckham,  for  many  years  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  Third  Judicial  Department,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  decease  in  1873  a  member  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  was  of  1827.  No  more  fitting  tribute  can  be 
paid  his  memory  than  that  of  the  memorial  handed  down 
at  the  opening  of  the  court  at  its  first  meeting  after  the 
disaster  by  which  he  came  to  his  death.  Chief  Judge 
Church,  on  behalf  of  himself  and  his  associates,  said: 
"  Judge  Peckham  has  for  many  years  been  identified  with 
the  judiciary  of  the  State.  His  judicial  career  began  as 
a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  to  which  he  was  elected 
in  the  district  where  he  had  spent  the  whole  of  his  pro- 
fessional life;  and  the  qualities  which  distinguished  him 
as  a  judge  in  that  position  led  to  his  nomination  and 
election  as  an  associate  judge  of  this  court  on  its  organi- 
zation. His  firmness,  his  learning,  and  his  fearlessness 
and  independence  in  maintaining  his  convictions,  guided 
always  by  a  strong  sense  of  justice,  which  was  a  distin- 
guishing feature  of  his  character,  won  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  bar  and  bench,  and  of  all  with  whom  he 
was  associated." 

Ward  Hunt,  of  1828,  attained  to  the  high  dignity  and 
responsibility  of  associate  justice  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  after  having  served  as  associate  and  chief 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  and  Commissioner  of  Ap- 
peals. 


360  UNION    COLLEGE. 

George  F.  Comstock,  of  1834,  came  to  the  bar  in  1837, 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Syra- 
cuse. In  1847  he  became  a  reporter  of  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  in  1856  a  judge  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals  to  fill  vacancy;  was  chief  judge  of 
the  court,  1860  to  1862.  "His  opinions  are  all  marked 
with  the  stamp  of  eminent  ability,  but  his  reputation  as 
a  judge  rests  chiefly  upon  his  opinions  in  a  few  cases 
which  involved  the  determination  of  great  questions  and 
the  evolution  and  application  of  principles  of  permanent 
value.  These  opinions  he  elaborated  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  exhibited  great  logical  power,  the  most  discrimi- 
nating analysis,  and  profound  learning."  He  practised  his 
profession  with  marked  success  after  his  retirement  from 
the  bench,  and  up  to  his  death  in  1892. 

John  K.  Porter,  distinguished  as  an  advocate,  and  bear- 
ing a  high  reputation  as  a  judge  of  the  court  of  last 
resort,  was  of  1837.  For  many  years  a  member  of  the 
leading  law  firm  in  the  city  of  Albany,  he  conducted  a 
very  large  business  as  counsel  in  the  higher  courts,  and 
achieved  a  reputation  in  the  argument  of  causes  second 
to  that  of  no  lawyer  in  the  State.  For  a  term  of  years, 
beginning  with  1865,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals;  and  upon  his  retirement  became  the  head  of  one 
of  the  leading  firms  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  was 
best  known  to  the  public  by  reason  of  his  participation 
in  the  action  of  Tiltou  against  Beecher,  in  which  he  won 
many  professional  laurels,  and  to  the  country  at  large 
from  having  been  counsel  upon  the  trial  of  the  assassin 
Guiteau  for  the  murder  of  President  Garfield.  The  un- 
remitting labors  of  this  trial,  extending  over  weeks  and 
months,  undermined  his  constitution,  and  ruined  health 
necessitated  his  retirement  from  the  bar.  He  was  bril- 
liant, persuasive,  and  logical  as  a  lawyer ;  and  his  opinions 
are  clear,  pointed,  and  concise,  indicating  a  vigorous  in- 
tellect trained  to  the  duties  of  the  bar  and  the  bench. 


ADDRESS.  361 

His  standing  with  his  brethren  at  the  bar  is,  perhaps, 
best  ilhistrated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  chosen  as  the  first 
president  of  tlie  New  York  State  Bar  Association  npon 
its  organization  in  187(3,  and  elected  for  a  second  term 
the  following  year. 

Those  in  attendance  upon  these  Centennial  exercises 
have  listened  to  a  commemorative  address  from  George  F. 
Danforth,  of  1840.  To  those  who  have  had  that  pleasure 
it  is  unnecessary  to  recall  either  his  vigorous  personality 
or  his  ability  as  an  orator.  To  the  wider  circle  of  gradu- 
ates of  the  college  he  is  known  as  a  loyal  son  of  Union, 
for  whom  a  successful  career  at  the  bar  was  followed  by 
a  term  of  fourteen  years  of  service  in  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals, from  which  he  retired,  alike  to  the  regret  of  the 
bar  and  bench,  only  by  reason  of  the  constitutional  limi- 
tation upon  the  term  of  his  office.  He  was  selected  by  a 
unanimous  vote  of  his  associates  to  preside  over  the  de- 
liberations of  the  commission  appointed  in  1890  to  revise 
the  judiciary  article  of  the  Constitution,  and  did  much 
toward  shaping  the  report  which  was  ultimately  substan- 
tially adopted  by  the  recent  Constitutional  Convention. 

Hamilton  Harris,  of  1841,  is,  perhaps,  among  all  the 
names  mentioned,  more  especially  a  representative  of  the 
bar  as  apart  from  the  bench.  Nearly  all  the  sons  of 
Union  who  have  been  distinguished  as  lawyers  have  like- 
wise achieved  success  as  judges.  But  aside  from  the  office 
of  State  Senator,  Mr.  Harris  has  held  no  official  posi- 
tion. For  very  many  years  he  has  been  closely  identified 
with  the  history  of  the  bar  of  the  State,  and  his  industry, 
ability,  and  learning  have  been  availed  of  by  hundreds 
of  suitors  in  trial  courts  and  courts  of  last  resort,  and  no 
lawyer  in  the  State  has  a  more  substantial  clientage  or 
is  better  worthy  of  its  confidence.  The  easy  and  deliberate 
manner  of  Mr.  Harris  in  the  trial  courts  recalls  the  anec- 
dotes related  of  Sir  James  Scarlett,  who  was  said,  during 
the  progress  of  a  trial,  to  regard  the  proceedings  with 


362  UNION    COLLEGE. 

apparent  indifference,  but,  as  a  fact,  giving  the  closest 
attention  to  the  salient  features,  with  regard  to  which 
his  adversary  found  him  a  most  thoroughly  equipped 
and  dangerous  adversary.  Nothing  of  fact  or  law  es- 
capes his  notice,  and  in  concise  and  convincing  terms, 
with  no  attempt  at  oratory,  every  point  is  presented  in 
the  clearest  and  most  convincing  terms  to  court  and  jury. 
No  one  has  greater  pride  in  his  profession  or  takes 
greater  interest  in  affairs  appertaining  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  educational  interests  of  the  State.  Mr.  Har- 
ris is  not  a  stranger  to  the  delights  of  literature,  and  finds 
relief  from  most  painstaking  and  successful  labor  at  the 
bar  among  the  shelves  of  a  carefully  selected  library. 

Orsamus  Cole,  of  the  class  of  1843,  was  for  many  years 
chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Wisconsin,  and  as 
such  attained  a  high  reputation  as  a  jurist. 

Eobert  Earl,  of  1845,  retired  from  a  seat  upon  the  bench 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals  at  the  close  of  1894,  after  a  con- 
tinuous judicial  service  in  that  court  of  nearly  twenty- 
five  years,  having  served  a  longer  period  in  that  tribunal 
than  any  other  judge  sitting  upon  that  bench  since  the 
organization  of  the  court.  Judge  Earl  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1848,  and  remained  at  the  bar  until  1869,  serv- 
ing during  that  period  as  county  judge  of  his  county. 
He  first  took  his  seat  upon  the  bench  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals  in  1870.  He  later  became  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mission of  Appeals,  and  upon  the  dissolution  of  that 
body  was  again  elected  a  member  of  the  court.  He  acted 
as  chief  judge  in  1870  and  1892.  His  opinions  appear  in 
the  New  York  reports,  beginning  with  volume  41  and 
ending  with  volume  144,  and  number  over  1400.  If  pub- 
lished by  themselves,  it  is  said  they  would  make  about 
eighteen  volumes  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  reports.  He 
has  thus  impressed  himself  in  a  most  striking  manner 
upon  the  development  of  the  law  in  this  State  for  the 


ADDRESS.  363 

past  quarter  of  a  century,  since  their  ((Ucility  fully  equals 
the  quantity. 

Upon  his  retirement  from  the  court  the  unusual  cour- 
tesy was  extended  him  of  the  expression  of  the  views  of 
the  judges  in  an  official  minute,  and  their  appreciation 
and  that  of  the  bar  cannot  better  be  expressed  than  by  an 
extract  from  that  proceeding.  They  say:  "  Especially  we 
shall  miss  him  at  the  consultation-table,  where  the  capa- 
city to  see  swiftly,  grasp  accurately,  and  hold  firmly  the 
rapid  succession  of  facts  and  doctrines  involved  in  the 
cases  as  they  pass  in  review,  finds  its  most  useful  field  of 
effort.  He  held  his  place  there,  a  sentinel  never  asleep, 
a  patrol  always  on  the  alert,  a  guard  not  to  be  eluded ; 
and  yet  none  of  us,  even  when  stopped  or  challenged, 
ever  had  reason  to  regret  the  manner  of  the  vigilance; 
for,  however  earnest  the  warning  or  relentless  the  criti- 
cism, there  was  always  kindness  and  courtesy  behind  it, 
and  a  zeal  which  fully  subordinated  pride  of  opinion  to 
the  sound  and  stable  reputation  of  the  court." 

John  T.  Hoffman,  of  1846,  is  best  known  in  other  fields 
than  the  law.  He  was,  nevertheless,  a  man  of  standing 
at  the  bar ;  and  as  recorder  of  the  city  of  New  York  ob- 
tained a  high  reputation  for  a  fearless  and  independent 
discharge  of  his  judicial  duties. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  forty-six  graduated  Silas  W. 
Sanderson,  for  some  time  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  California,  and  who  for  many  years  occupied  a 
commanding  position  at  the  bar  of  that  State ;  and  Wil- 
liam H.  King,  a  lawyer  of  high  standing  and  reputation 
in  his  adopted  city  of  Chicago,  where,  for  a  considerable 
period  of  time,  he  was  president  of  the  association  of  the 
bar  of  that  city. 

And  here  we  have  arrived  at  the  close  of  the  first  half- 
century,  and,  with  a  single  exception,  leave  the  record 
from  1847  to  be  made  up  at  a  later  day ;  not  but  that  a 


364  UNION    COLLEGE. 

number  of  the  sons  of  Union  have  distinguished  them- 
selves at  the  bar  and  served  faithfully  and  well  upon  the 
bench,  but  for  the  reason  that  we  now  come  to  deal  more 
fully  with  our  contemporaries,  many  of  whom  have  estab- 
lished their  reputation,  some  of  whom  have  it  yet  to 
make,  and  further  suggestion  might  seem  invidious. 

The  exception  noted  is  that  of  Samuel  Hand,  of  1851, 
who  passed  away,  nearly  a  decade  since,  at  the  early  age 
of  fifty-three.  From  1859,  when  Mr.  Hand  located  at 
Albany,  his  reputation  as  a  lawyer  was  at  once  established 
throughout  the  State.  As  a  member  of  the  famous  firm 
of  Cagger,  Porter  &  Hand,  he  developed  his  capacity  for 
work,  his  methods  of  thorough  preparation,  and  his  abil- 
ity to  grasp  and  expound  intricate  questions  of  law. 

Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  except  the  short  interval 
during  which  he  was  a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in 
1878,  he  was  the  leading  counsel  at  the  bar  of  that  court, 
a  position  for  which  he  was  admirably  fitted  not  only  by 
his  knowledge  of  the  law,  but  by  reason  of  his  ability  to 
grasp  complicated  facts  and  to  apply  legal  principles 
thereto.  During  these  years  he  served  a  short  period  as 
State  reporter,  publishing  six  volumes  of  the  New  York 
reports.  Chief  Judge  Ruger  said  of  him,  with  the  approval 
of  the  members  of  the  Court  of  Appeals :  "  His  most  en- 
during claim  to  distinction  must,  we  think,  rest  mainly 
upon  the  reputation  made  by  him  as  an  advocate  at  the 
bar  of  this  court,  where,  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
he  occupied  a  commanding  position  and  was  more  exten- 
sively employed  in  the  argument  of  cases  than  any  other 
individual  practitioner.  The  confidence  reposed  by  his 
clients  in  his  ability  was  fully  justified  by  the  great  power 
and  varied  resources  which  he  brought  to  bear  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  professional  engagements,  and  the  success 
which  usually  attended  his  labors.  His  forensic  eft'orts 
were  always  distinguished  by  thoroughness  of  prepara- 
tion, perfect  and  expert  knowledge  of  the  case  in  hand. 


ADDRESS.  365 

a  clear  and  comprelieusivo  appreciation  of  tlie  legal  ques- 
tions involved,  and  of  the  reason  and  philosophy  of  the 
rules  bearing  upon  them,  a  logical  and  felicitous  method 
of  arrangement  and  presentation  which  enabled  him  to 
exhibit  in  the  strongest  light  the  favorable  features  of 
his  theme,  and  to  anticipate  and  counteract  those  of  his 
adversary." 

He  was  the  second  president  of  the  New  York  State 
Bar  Association,  serving  two  terms  in  that  capacity. 

The  roll  of  lawyers  and  jurists  who  graduated  from 
Union  during  the  first  half-century  of  her  existence  num- 
bers also  Alfred  Conkling,  of  1810,  United  States  minister 
to  Mexico  and  district  judge  of  the  Northern  District  of 
New  York ;  John  W.  Edmonds,  of  1816,  circuit  judge  of 
the  First  Circuit  in  1845,  and  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  1847;  Josiah  Sutherland,  of  1824,  justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  in  1857;  Enoch  H.  Rosekrans,  of  1826,  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  1855 ;  and  William  W.  Campbell, 
of  1827,  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  and  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-six  graduated  Alexander 
W.  Bradford,  commissioner  to  revise  the  laws,  and  surro- 
gate of  the  county  of  New  York ;  Hamilton  W.  Robinson, 
judge  of  the  New  York  Common  Pleas ;  and  Gilbert  M. 
Speir,  judge  of  the  Superior  Court. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-three  gave  to  the  Supreme 
Court  bench  Joseph  Mullin  and  Daniel  Pratt;  1835,  James 
C.  Smith,  for  a  long  term  presiding  justice  in  the  General 
Term  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  1836,  Peter  S.  Danforth  and 
William  Fullerton  of  the  Supreme  Court  bench ;  1839, 
John  N.  Pettit,  circuit  judge  in  Indiana,  and  Hooper  C. 
Van  Vorst  of  the  Common  Pleas  and  Superior  Court; 
1841,  Joseph  Potter  of  the  Supreme  Court;  and  1842, 
Joseph  W.  Jackson,  justice  of  the  same  court. 

Union  has,  therefore,  in  addition  to  a  brilliant  array  of 
lawyers  whose  name  is  legion,  and  whose  services  at  the 


366  UNION    COLLEGE. 

bar  have  been  rendered  with  ability,  fidelity,  and  integrity 
second  to  none,  seen  of  her  graduates  up  to  1846,  upon 
the  bench,  a  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  under 
the  Constitution  previous  to  1846,  three  chief  judges  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals,  eight  associate  judges  of  that  court, 
four  of  the  five  Commissioners  of  Appeals ;  and  the  list 
is  not  complete  without  the  enumeration  of  numerous 
judges  and  justices  of  superior  courts,  and  three  chief 
justices  of  the  highest  courts  of  other  States. 

Thus  has  the  college  discharged  its  functions  as  an 
educator  of  the  men  who  are  described  by  the  prince  of 
Roman  orators  as  "  learned  in  the  laws  and  that  general 
usage  which  private  persons  observe  in  their  intercourse 
in  the  community,  who  can  give  an  answer  on  any  point, 
can  plead  and  take  precautions  for  their  client,"  and  from 
among  whom  are  selected  the  magistrates  of  the  com- 
monwealth, whose  duties  are  set  forth  in  the  quaint  lan- 
guage of  Bishop  Home  to  be,  "  when  he  goeth  up  to  the 
Judgment  Seat  to  put  on  righteousness  as  a  beautiful 
robe,  and  to  render  his  tribunal  a  fit  emblem  of  that 
Eternal  Throne  of  which  justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation." 

No  one  can  be  better  aware  than  the  writer  of  this 
paper  that  justice  has  not  been  done  to  the  alumni  of 
Union  who  have  pleaded  at  the  bar  or  administered 
justice  from  the  bench.  Lack  of  time,  opportunity,  and 
sources  of  information  can  alone  excuse  the  shortcomings 
of  which  he  pleads  guilty.  He  throws  himself  upon  the 
mercy  of  the  court,  craving  so  light  a  sentence  by  way 
of  just  criticism  as  may  be  compatible  with  the  character 
of  the  offense.  To  have  selected  from  the  large  number 
of  names  of  those  who  have  graced  the  bench,  those  who 
might  have  been  deemed  most  worthy  of  further  men- 
tion, would  have  been  a  work  of  difficulty  which  could 
have  been  performed,  with  justice  to  those  interested,  by 
no  expenditure  of  time  or  labor.     To  have  selected  a  few 


ADDRESS.  367 

for  fuller  montioii  would  have  appccared  iiivulious.  To 
have  given  the  record  of  all  mi^ht  have  been  tedious.  It 
has  therefore  been  deemed  best  to  leave  those  names,  as 
well  as  those  of  the  distinguished  members  of  the  bar 
who  have  made  a  reputation  for  themselves  and  been  an 
honor  to  the  college,  to  other  annals,  in  which  may  be 
more  fully  recorded  their  ability,  industry,  and  integrity. 


ADDKESS 

BY  REV.  TEUNIS   S.  HAMLIN,  D.  D., 

Of  the  Class  of  1867. 

UNION   COLLEGE   IN  THE   MINISTRY. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN  aucl  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  It  is  one 
of  the  infelicities,  and  perhaps  the  chief  infelicity, 
of  coming  so  near  the  close  of  this  long  series  of  addresses, 
that  I  must  inevitably  repeat  many  of  the  names  which 
you  have  already  heard,  and  to  the  bearers  of  which  you 
have  already  paid  the  tribute  of  your  applause.  But 
over  against  that  infelicity  stands  the  joyful  fact,  which 
will  be  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  my  dear  friend  Fiero,  that 
no  name  that  he  mentioned  has  been  pronounced  in  my 
hearing  before,  or  had  occasion  to  be  pronounced,  except 
the  very  distinguished  name  of  William  Henry  Seward. 
All  the  earliest  colleges  of  this  country  were  created 
for  the  express  purpose  of  providing  for  the  churches  an 
educated  ministry.  In  most  cases  the  money  that  started 
them  came  from  meager  clerical  salaries,  and  the  nuclei 
of  their  libraries  were  gathered  from  the  shelves  of  the 
neighboring  pastors.  They  were  established  to  teach 
the  Bible  and  the  Christian  religion  quite  as  much  as  the 
classics,  scientific  studies  being  comparatively  unknown. 
All  their  presidents  and  most  of  their  professors  were 
clergymen.     And  they  were  nearly  all  denominational. 


ADDEESS.  369 

111  this  respect  our  college  was  a  distinct  adviince  upon 
any  predecessor.  Its  name  records  the  historic  fact  that 
several  religious  denominations  cooperated  in  its  organi- 
zation ;  and  in  its  administration  and  its  students  it  has 
always  been  true  to  tliat  name.  This  means,  however, 
not  that  it  has  l)een  less  religious,  hut  rather  more  so. 
Nor  has  it  been  less  clerical.  Of  104  trustees,  to  1884, 
not  including  ex-officio  trustees,  28  were  clergymen. 
Of  its  11  presidents  and  acting  presidents  to  date,  8 
have  been  clergymen,  and  all  full  presidents  have  been 
such  except  Webster.  Of  130  professors  and  tutors,  to 
1884,  55  were  ministers  of  the  gospel.  All  four  men  in 
the  first  class,  1797,  entered  the  ministry.  Of  some  7500 
alumni,  1312  have  been,  or  are,  clergymen  in  all  the  lead- 
ing denominations,  and  300  of  them  have  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

I  have  been  honored  with  an  invitation  to  speak  to 
you  about  these  1300  men.  Don't  get  frightened — I  am 
not  going  to  do  it.  [Laughter.]  It  is  a  stupendous  task. 
I  cannot  even  call  the  roll  of  their  names  in  the  time 
allotted  me.  I  could  not  mention  even  the  barest  facts 
about  those  of  them  that  have  reached  national  or  inter- 
national distinction.  I  cannot  enumerate  the  academical 
and  ecclesiastical  and  civil  honors  that  they  have  won 
and  worn.  Nor  would  either,  or  all,  of  these  things,  if 
done,  give  you  any  conception  of  "  Union  College  in  the 
Ministry."  A  single  sentence  can  state  the  fact ;  but  to 
know  what  it  means  we  must  trace  the  influence  of  these 
men  in  the  many  thousands  of  pupils  that  they  have 
taught ;  the  libraries  of  books  that  they  have  written ; 
the  innumerable  men  and  women  and  children  that  they 
have  influenced  for  good  in  the  pulpit  and  in  pastoral 
work;  the  institutions  of  learning  that  they  have  founded, 
and  the  centers  of  light  that  they  have  created  in  our  own 
land  and  in  foreign  lands ;  the  philanthropies  that  they 
have  originated  or  stimulated;  the  reforms  that  they 
24 


370  UNION    COLLEGE. 

have  promoted ;  the  patriotism  and  all  civic  virtues  that 
they  have  cultivated  and  practised.  Nor  would  these 
things  be  adequately  represented  by  mentioning  a  few 
of  the  most  brilliant  names  and  their  most  splendid 
achievements.  Most  of  these  1300  have  lived  and  worked 
unheralded;  in  towns  and  villages  and  rural  neighbor- 
hoods ;  on  narrow  incomes  and  amid  many  circumscrib- 
ing conditions ;  in  short,  after  that  inconspicuous  fashion 
that  marks  nine  tenths  of  the  productive  and  valuable 
labor  of  the  world.  Still  all  their  years  and  powers  have 
been  spent  in  the  service  of  their  fellow-men ;  in  bringing 
comfort  to  the  sick  and  dying,  hope  to  the  discouraged, 
salvation  to  the  lost.  What  humblest  of  all  their  parishes 
could  be  found  where  they  have  not  awakened  ambition 
in  some  young  men  or  women  who  have  become  in  their 
turn  scholars,  teachers,  orators,  statesmen  —  the  leaders 
that  have  molded  cities,  communities,  civilizations! 
When  we  remember  that  most  of  the  masters  in  business, 
in  the  professions,  and  in  official  life,  have  come  from 
the  farm  or  the  village ;  when  we  consider  the  meager- 
ness  of  their  childhood,  its  few  glimpses  of  the  world  or 
outlooks  on  life ;  when  we  think  that  the  minister,  per- 
haps, alone  of  all  their  acquaintances  could  talk  with 
them  of  books,  education,  history,  the  world's  insatiable 
demand  for  men  of  power  and  of  unselfish  ambition ; 
when  we  see  the  purpose  thus  aroused  to  be  something 
more  and  better  than  an  ignorant  drudge :  then  we  get 
a  suggestion,  at  least,  of  the  far-reaching  influence  of  the 
humblest  country  pastor.  Gather,  in  any  of  our  great 
centers  of  power,  the  men  that  control  business,  make 
laws,  shape  thought,  administer  affairs,  and  ask  them 
where  their  success  had  its  initiative,  and  how  many  of 
them  will  say,  "In  the  inspiring  counsels  and  unfailing 
encouragement  of  my  minister  when  I  was  a  lad  at  home" ! 
Moreover,  it  is  a  great  thing  to  be  able  to  say  of  any 
1300  men  that  their  example,  as  well  as  their  influence, 


ADDRESS.  371 

lias  beeu  uiiitonuly  on  the  riglit  side.  There  may  be  ex- 
ceptions to  this  among  our  clerical  alumni ;  hut  if  so,  they 
are  unknown  to  me.  Not  all  these  1300  have  been  gi-eat 
scholars  or  eloquent  preachers;  many  of  their  names 
have  no  place  in  biographical  encyclopedias,  and  have 
probably  seldom  been  mentioned  in  the  newspapers.  But 
all  of  them  have  been  temperate,  pure,  honest,  truthful; 
good  neighbors  and  good  citizens  ;  safely  trusted  by  their 
fellow-men.  And  this  is  a  tribute  not  only  to  their  moral 
character,  but  to  their  general  efficiency.  It  has  always 
been  claimed  for  Union  College  that  it  turns  out  practical 
men ;  men  of  affairs ;  in  the  best  sense,  men  of  the  world. 
This  claim  is  amply  sustained  wherever  its  alumni  are 
found,  and  nowhere  more  notably  than  in  the  ministry, 
usually  regarded  as  the  least  practical  of  callings.  If  the 
superstition  still  lingers  in  any  mind  that  clergymen  are 
mere  doctrinaires ;  at  home  only  in  the  study ;  incompe- 
tent to  care  for  themselves ;  incapable  of  understanding 
the  complicated  questions  of  business  and  politics ;  very 
good  to  give  abstract  advice,  but  quite  useless  for  put- 
ting it  into  practice ;  without  executive  or  administrative 
talent  or  aptitude :  I  know  of  no  better  antidote  for  that 
superstition  than  a  study  of  the  clerical  alumni  of  this 
college.  If  any  one  thinks  of  the  ministry  as  primarily 
a  talking,  not  an  acting  profession,  let  him  note  not 
only  what  these  men  have  said,  as  it  is  cherished  in  the 
memory  of  thousands,  and  preserved  in  pamphlets,  re- 
views, and  books,  but  what  have  they  done,  as  it  is  seen 
in  the  solid  architecture  of  a  multitude  of  churches  and 
schools  and  colleges ;  in  millions  of  dollars  of  permanent 
endowments;  in  many  scores  of  libraries;  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  countless  philanthropies ;  wherever,  in- 
deed, an  educated  intellect  and  a  sympathetic  heart  can 
find  opportunity  to  benefit  mankind. 

If,  therefore,  we  select  a  few  from  this  noble  list,  and 
sketch  briefly  their  most  notable  achievements,  it  will 


372  UNION    COLLEGE. 

not  be  due  to  any  lack  of  ai^preciation  of  all  the  rest,  but 
first,  to  our  rigid  limits  of  time  and  space ;  and  second, 
to  the  difficulty,  indeed  the  impossibility,  of  getting  ac- 
curate information.  If,  as  a  sample,  I  had  here  and  should 
read  to  you  a  letter  I  received  from  that  incorrigible  man 
John  D.  Nott  about  himself,  you  would  see  what  troubles 
I  have  been  through,  and  I  am  sure  I  should  have  your 
deep  sympathy.  It  is  this  selection  which  is  the  most 
embarrassing  part  of  our  task.  Every  hearer  will  note 
what  seem  to  him  inexcusable  omissions  and  dispropor- 
tions. To  such  criticisms  there  is  no  answer.  One  can 
only  aver  that  he  has  used  his  best  judgment,  without 
prejudice  or  partiality,  and  tried  to  show  fairly  the 
work  of  Union  College  in  the  ministry. 

Some  classification  will  be  convenient;  and  we  will 
begin  with  those  ^clerical  alumni  who  have  devoted  their 
lives  principally  to  teaching.  And  here  I  regret  to  say  that 
I  shall  have  to  refer  again  to  some  of  those  names  already 
mentioned  by  my  friend  Dr.  Rossiter  in  his  superb  ad- 
dress, to  which  you  listened  with  such  rapt  attention  last 
night. 

Francis  Wayland,  of  the  class  of  1813,  was  born  in 
New  York  city,  March  11,  1796,  and  died  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  September  30,  1865.  His  father  was  a  clergyman ; 
his  mother  a  woman  of  "  superior  mind,  accurate  and  dis- 
criminating judgment,  and  a  strong  and  expansive  thirst 
for  knowledge."  He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  at 
the  Dutchess  County  Academy  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  en- 
tered Union  in  the  sophomore  class.  He  took  a  three 
years'  course  in  medicine;  but  when  ready  to  practise, 
he  became  a  Christian,  joined  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
decided  to  enter  the  ministry.  He  studied  two  years 
at  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  and  for  four  years 
(1817-21)  was  a  tutor  here  (at  Union  College),  a  period 
which  he  pronounced  "  of  great  service  to  him  intellec- 
tually."  His  only  pastorate  followed,  five  years  in  the  First 


ADDRESS.  373 

Baptist  Church  of  Boston.  He  was  a  groat  preaclior,  clear, 
cogent,  fervid,  and  eloquent.  His  sermon  on  "  The  Moral 
Dignity  of  the  Missionary  Enterprise,"  ])ul)lislu'(l  in  many 
languages,  and  very  widely  circulated,  was  one  of  th(^  most 
potent  incentives  to  modern  missions.  In  182(5  he  was 
recalled  to  this  college  as  professor  of  moral  philosophy ; 
and  early  the  next  year  was  elected  the  fourth  President 
of  Brown  University.  Here,  during  twenty-eight  years, 
his  great  life-work  was  done.  He  took  rank  with  his  own 
instructors,  Nott,  Leonard  Woods,  and  Moses  Stuart. 
He  was  a  pioneer  in  introducing  into  the  college  course 
wider  scientific  studies  and  the  elective  system.  His 
text-books,  especially  on  ethics,  had,  and  still  have,  great 
currency.  He  was  a  leader  in  organizing  the  public 
schools  of  Providence  and  of  Rhode  Island.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  American  Institute  of  Instruction. 
He  gave  much  aid  in  the  founding  of  free  public  libraries 
throughout  New  England.  He  was  an  acknowledged 
leader  in  all  the  affairs  of  the  Baptist  denomination.  He 
was  a  public-spirited  citizen.  He  continued  throughout 
his  life  to  preach  the  gospel,  not  only  in  leading  pulpits 
on  great  occasions,  but  especially  to  his  students ;  and 
to  them  not  simply  in  the  college  chapel,  but  individu- 
ally.    His  aim  always  was  to  make  Christian  scholars. 

Henry  Philip  Tappan,  of  the  class  of  1825,  was  born 
at  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y.,  April  18,  1805,  and  died  at  Vevey, 
Switzerland,  November  ]5,  1881.  He  was  of  Huguenot 
and  Holland  descent,  his  ancestors  having  been  among 
the  early  settlers  of  the  New  Netherlands.  His  father, 
once  in  affluent  circumstances,  had  met  reverses;  and 
Henry  had  to  make  his  own  way  to  and  through  college 
by  teaching.  Being  graduated  here  at  twenty,  he  studied 
theology  three  years  at  Auburn,  and  then  became  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.  He  was 
an  admirable  preacher  and  a  faithful  pastor ;  but  at  the 
end  of  three  years  bronchitis  compelled  him  to  leave  the 
24* 


374  UNION    COLLEGE. 

pulpit.  In  1832  he  accepted  the  chair  of  iutellectual  and 
moral  philosophy  in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York.  For  six  years  he  filled  this  chair  with  signal  abil- 
ity. For  the  fourteen  years  following  he  gave  himself 
largely  to  authorship.  He  reviewed  with  masterly  power 
Edwards's  great  work  on  "  The  Will,"  and  wrote  a  treatise 
on  logic,  of  which  Victor  Cousin  said :  "  It  is  equal  to  any 
work  on  this  subject  that  has  appeared  in  Europe."  In- 
deed, his  books  made  him  known  in  every  educational 
center  of  the  Old  World,  and  in  1856  he  was  elected  a 
corresponding  member  of  the  Institute  of  France.  In 
1852,  at  the  ripe  age  of  forty-seven,  he  was  called  to  the 
presidency  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  That  insti- 
tution had  been  ten  years  in  existence,  but  had  had  no 
president,  the  faculty  electing  one  of  its  own  number 
chairman  annually.  Speaking  before  the  University 
Christian  Association  some  years  later.  Dr.  Tappan  al- 
ludes thus  to  the  sundering  of  his  cherished  associations 
in  the  East:  "Believe  me,  it  was  a  painful  decision  for 
me  to  make  to  accept  that  call,  although  so  honorable, 
and  implying  so  much  public  trust.  But  I  saw  that  I 
was  called  for  no  ordinary  purpose,  to  enter  upon  no 
common  work.  A  young,  vigorous,  free,  enlightened, 
and  magnanimous  people  had  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
State  university;  they  were  aiming  to  open  for  them- 
selves one  of  the  great  fountains  of  civilization,  of  culture, 
of  refinement,  of  true  national  grandeur  and  prosperity. 
While  leveling  the  forests  and  turning  up  the  furrows 
of  the  virgin  soil  to  the  sunlight,  they  would  enter  upon 
the  race  of  knowledge  and  beautify  and  refine  their  new 
homes  with  learning  and  the  liberal  arts.  It  was  the 
charm  of  this  high  promise  and  expectation  that  drew 
me  here." 

Beyond  even  Francis  Wayland,  Dr.  Tappan  had  broad 
and  liberal  ideas  of  the  place  and  work  of  an  American 
university.     He   thoroughly   understood   the   European 


ADDKES8-.  375 

system,  and  perceived  how  its  best  principles  niiglit  l)e 
applied  here.  He  believed  the  colleges  of  the  East  to  be 
weak  through  having  no  vital  connection  with  schools  of 
lower  grade.  So  for  eleven  years  he  labored  with  unspar- 
ing energy,  great  wisdom,  and  magnificent  success  to 
unify,  enlarge,  and  make  permanent  the  educational  sys- 
tem of  the  splendid  couimonwealth  of  Michigan.  Of  the 
result  Professor  Henry  8.  Frieze  says:  "This  university, 
whatever  may  be  its  progress  towards  the  highest  devel- 
opment, whatever  amplitude  it  may  attain  in  the  var- 
iety of  its  departments  or  the  diversity  of  its  learning, 
will  always  represent,  and  can  never  go  beyond,  the  ideal 
held  out  before  it  bj^  the  first  president."  And  President 
Angell  writes :  "  You  can  hardly  exaggerate  our  estimate 
of  Dr.  Tappau  as  a  thinker  and  an  educator  and  a  leader." 
To  have  done  such  work  for  an  institution  that  now 
numbers  almost  3000  students  is  glory  enough  for  any 
man ;  but  Dr.  Tapj)an  did  more :  he  profoundly  and 
permanently  influenced  the  development  of  education 
throughout  the  entire  West. 

Leonard  Woods,  of  the  class  of  1827,  son  of  Dr.  Way- 
land's  teacher  of  the  same  name,  was  born  in  Newbury, 
Mass.,  November  24,  1807,  and  died  in  Boston,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1878.  He  studied  theology  at  Andover,  and  was 
a  resident  graduate  and  tutor  there  until  1833.  He  was 
nev^er  a  settled  pastor,  though  an  exceptionally  able  and 
eloquent  preacher.  Richard  Henry  Dana,  his  private 
pupil,  says  of  him :  "  At  twenty-four  he  had  been  the 
first  pupil  of  Phillips  Academy,  first  in  every  branch  at 
Union  College,  foremost  man  of  his  period  at  Andover 
Seminary,  and  had  published  a  translation  of  Knapp's 
'  Christian  Theology,'  with  a  preface  and  notes,  showing 
profound  scholarship."  He  aided  Edward  Robinson  in 
editing  the  "Biblical  Repository,"  and  Moses  Stuart  in 
preparing  his  commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans.   For  three  years  (1834-37)  he  edited  the  "  Literary 


376  UNION    COLLEGE. 

and  Theological  Review,"  and  for  two  years  was  professor 
of  sacred  literature  at  Bangor.  Then  for  twenty-seven 
years,  from  1839-66,  he  was  fourth  president  of  Bow- 
doin  College.  Here  his  great  life-work  was  accomplished. 
The  college  flourished  under  his  administi-ation  in  every 
way.  Many  men  now  of  the  highest  distinction  were 
his  pupils,  among  them  Chief  Justice  Fuller,  Senator 
Frye,  ex-Speaker  Reed,  General  Howard,  Newman  and 
Egbert  C.  Smyth.  Though  great  as  a  teacher,  he  was 
even  greater  as  a  man.  His  personality  was  charming 
in  the  highest  degree.  Professor  Park  pronounces  him 
"  even  more  remarkable  for  his  conversation  than  for  his 
public  addresses."  When  in  Rome,  Gregory  XVI.  con- 
gratulated him  upon  his  "  excellent  Latin,  and  the  rich- 
ness of  his  discourse."  The  last  twelve  years  of  his  life 
were  devoted  to  researches  in  this  country  and  in  Europe 
relative  to  the  early  history  of  Maine. 

Laurens  Perseus  Hickok  (What  can  I  say  further  of 
him  when  I  remember  what  Dr.  Rossiter  said  last  night  ? 
And  yet  it  is  a  name  which  you  would  be  unwilling  that 
I  should  omit),  of  the  class  of  1820,  was  born  at  Bethel, 
Conn.,  December  29,  1798,  and  died  at  Amherst,  Mass., 
May  6,  1888. 

He  studied  theology  under  private  teachers,  as  was 
much  the  custom  at  that  period,  and  became  j)astor  of 
the  Congregational  Church  at  Kent,  Conn.,  where  he  re- 
mained for  five  years  (1824-29).  For  an  equal  period  he 
was  pastor  at  Litchfield,  succeeding  Lyman  Beecher. 
These  ten  years  were  very  fruitful.  Dr.  Hickok's  preach- 
ing was  clear,  pungent,  and  vigorous.  He  addressed  the 
intellect  and  the  conscience  with  great  power,  and  the 
number  of  conversions,  especially  of  thoughtful  men,  was 
very  large  under  his  ministry.  In  his  first  year  at  Litch- 
field upward  of  a  hundred  confessed  Christ.  But  he  was 
essentially  a  theologian  and  a  philosopher.  The  call  to 
found  the  department  of  theology  at  Western  Reserve 


ADDRESS.  377 

College  in  nortbeni  Ohio,  wiiile  his  friend  Dr.  Beeeher 
was  doing  a  similar  work  at  Cincinnati,  was  very  attrac- 
tive to  him ;  and  for  eight  years  he  had  the  opportunity 
of  laying  solid  foundations  in  that  new  region.  For  an- 
other eight  years  he  tauglit  Christian  theology  at  Auburn, 
having  as  pupils  many  notable  men.  In  1852  he  returned 
to  his  alma  mater  as  vice-president  and  professor  of  men- 
tal and  moral  science.  It  had  been  his  lifelong  ambition 
to  found  a  genuine  American  university,  with  such  ample 
courses  and  such  an  able  faculty  that  our  young  men, 
however  ambitious  for  specialized  scholarship,  need  not 
go  abroad  to  seek  it.  Dr.  Hickok  came  to  Union  with 
the  well-grounded  hope  of  doing  that  great  work  here; 
but  unforeseen  obstacles  prevented.  For  sixteen  years, 
however,  he  taught  and  wrote,  practically  administering 
the  college,  and  succeeding  Dr.  Nott  as  president  in  1866. 
He  easily  takes  rank  with  the  three  or  four  greatest  meta- 
physicians of  the  age,  and  with  the  two  or  three  greatest 
theologians.  His  thinking  was  remarkably  profound. 
The  elements  of  his  system  were  clear  to  every  attentive 
student;  his  ultimate  reasonings  tax  the  acutest  intel- 
lect to  follow.  His  beautiful  integrity,  simplicity,  humil- 
ity; his  unfeigned  piety;  his  genuine  interest  in  his 
pupils,  endeared  him  to  every  one  who  fell  under  his 
influence.  His  last  years  were  spent  in  charming  retire- 
ment at  Amherst,  where  he  worked  steadily  in  revising 
his  text-books  and  thinking  out  his  system  to  its  con- 
clusions, even  after  partial  blindness  had  prevented  his 
committing  them  to  paper  with  his  own  hand.  May  I 
add  it  was  my  privilege,  year  after  year,  to  make  an 
annual  visit  to  Dr.  Hickok  at  Amherst,  and  he  never 
ceased  to  express  his  earnest  regard  and  concern  for  the 
welfare  of  Old  Union !  (My  watch  admonishes  me  that  I 
must  turn  down  many  of  these  pages.) 

John  Howard  Raymond,  of  the  class  of  1832,  in  which 
he  took  high  honors,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  March 


378  UNION    COLLEGE. 

7,  1814,  and  died  at  Pouglikeepsie,  August  14,  1878.  He 
studied  law  at  New  Haven,  but  his  religious  convictions 
forbade  him  to  enter  upon  its  practice,  and  in  1834  he 
entered  the  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at  Hamilton, 
N.  Y.  He  drifted  at  once  into  teaching,  and  was  never 
a  pastor,  though  he  jDreached  constantly  and  had  esj^e- 
cial  success  in  revival  work.  For  ten  years  he  taught 
rhetoric  and  English  literature  with  brilliant  success 
at  Madison,  and  for  five  years  filled  a  similar  chair  at 
Rochester  University.  In  1855  he  was  selected  to  or- 
ganize the  Polytechnic  Institute  in  Brooklyn,  in  which 
work  he  spent  ten  laborious  and  fruitful  years,  evincing 
the  highest  order  of  originality  in  conception  and  thor- 
oughness in  method.  His  success  here  led  to  his  being 
chosen  in  1865  to  continue,  as  its  second  president  (prac- 
tically its  first)  the  organization  of  Vassar  College.  Here 
he  did  the  work  of  a  pioneer  in  equipping  a  great  institu- 
tion for  the  higher  education  of  women.  In  the  thirteen 
years  of  his  incumbency  he  placed  Vassar  side  by  side 
with  the  older  colleges  for  men.  Meanwhile  he  taught 
mental  and  moral  philosophy,  and  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  his  pupils.  He  sacrificed  his  life  in  his  devo- 
tion to  Vassar,  which  is  his  enduring  monument. 

Lauremus  Clark  Seelye,  of  the  class  of  1857,  was  born 
at  Bethel,  Conn.,  September  20,  1837.  He  studied  the- 
ology at  Andover,  and  afterward  at  Berlin  and  Heidel- 
berg. 

His  only  pastorate  was  for  two  years  over  the  North 
Congregational  Church  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  whence  he 
was  called  to  the  professorship  of  English  literature  and 
oratory  at  Amherst.  After  eight  years  of  efficient  work 
here,  he  was  chosen  as  organizer  and  first  president  of 
Smith  College  at  Northampton.  His  twenty-two  years 
there  have  been  brilliantly  successful.  If  Dr.  Raymond 
provided  the  higher  education  for  women  at  Vassar,  Dr. 
Seelye  has  provided  the  highest  at  Smith.     Its  courses 


ADDRESS.  379 

of  study  rank  witli  those  of  our  best  universities,  and  its 
work  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired  in  point  of  thorough- 
ness. When  such  an  institution  was  projected  there  was 
wide-spread  doubt  as  to  its  feasibility.  Even  so  ex- 
perienced an  educator  as  Dr.  Hickok  (piestioned  whether 
students  could  be  found  qualified  to  enter.  But  Dr. 
Seelye's  faith  in  the  desire  and  demand  for  such  edu- 
cation by  women,  and  in  their  ability  to  receive  it,  has 
been  splendidly  vindicated. 

Joseph  Aldeu,  of  the  class  of  1829,  a  lineal  descendant 
in  the  sixth  generation  of  John  Alden  of  the  3Iai/ffower, 
was  born  at  Cairo,  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  January  4, 1807, 
and  died  in  New  York  city,  August  30, 1885.  He  studied 
theology  for  two  years  at  Princeton  Seminary,  and  was 
for  two  years  tutor  in  Princeton  College.  His  only  pas- 
torate was  over  the  Congi'egational  Church  at  Williams- 
town,  Mass.,  where  he  made  a  deep  impression  by  both 
mental  and  spiritual  power.  A  failing  voice  disqualified 
him  for  the  pulpit,  and  he  became  professor  of  rhetoric 
and  political  economy  in  Williams  College,  ranking  next 
to  the  great  President  Hopkins  in  influence  over  the  stu- 
dents. After  seventeen  years  he  was  called,  in  1852,  to 
the  chair  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy  in  Lafayette 
College,  and  five  years  later  to  the  presidency  of  Jeffer- 
son. After  five  years  here,  and  some  two  years  devoted 
to  literary  labor,  he  became  president  of  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Albany,  and  rounded  out  his  life  with  fifteen 
very  busy  and  fruitful  years  of  teaching  teachers.  He 
had  a  genius  for  teaching,  aiming  principally  at  the  in- 
tellectual development  of  his  pupils,  having  no  rigid 
methods,  but  studying  each  individually,  and  adapting 
his  work  to  personal  traits  and  needs.  Dr.  Alden  was  a 
prolific  author,  the  number  of  his  titles  reaching  seventy- 
six,  and  his  books  covering  a  very  wide  range  of  themes. 
Not  a  few  of  his  writings  are  of  permanent  value. 

Ransom  Bethune  Welch,  of  the  class  of  1846,  was  born 


380  UNION    COLLEGE. 

in  the  town  of  Greenville,  Grreene  Coiint}^,  N.  Y.,  January 
27,  1824,  and  died  at  the  Healing  Springs,  Va.,  June  29, 
1890.  He  was  of  Holland  blood.  From  early  boyhood 
he  made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  beginning  at  sixteen 
to  teach  district  schools.  Thus  he  passed  with  honors 
through  academy  and  college.  He  studied  theology  at 
Andover  under  Dr.  Park,  and  at  Aubiu'n  under  Dr.Hickok. 
Frail  health  disabled  him  for  the  arduous  labor  and  in- 
cessant strain  of  permanent  pastoral  work.  His  three 
years  at  Catskill  was  his  longest  settlement ;  here  he  did 
brilliant  as  well  as  faithful  service,  but  it  took  five  years 
to  recuperate.  Those  years,  however,  were  not  spent  in 
idleness.  He  read  widely,  and  wrote  largely  for  news- 
papers and  reviews.  In  1866  he  returned  to  his  Alma 
Mater  as  professor  of  rhetoric,  logic,  and  English  litera- 
ture. He  filled  this  chair  nobly  for  ten  years,  meanwhile 
producing  a  masterly  volume  on  "Faith  and  Modern 
Thought."  In  1876  he  succeeded  to  the  chair  of  his 
teacher  and  friend  Dr.  Hickok  as  professor  of  Christian 
theology  at  Auburn.  To  this  great  place  and  work  the 
last  fourteen  years  of  his  life  were  given.  His  theology 
was  Christocentric,  irenic,  constructive.  He  held  both 
the  respect  and  the  love  of  his  students.  His  fit  monu- 
ment is  the  Welch  HaU  at  Auburn,  to  build  which  he  left 
a  bequest  of  $36,000. 

John  Williamson  Nevin,  of  the  class  of  1821,  was  born 
near  Strasburg,  Franklin  County,  Pa.,  February  20, 1803, 
and  died  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  June  6,  1886.  He  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  As  a  student  at  Princeton  Semi- 
nary he  distinguished  himself  in  Oriental  scholarship, 
and  for  two  years  taught  Hebrew  as  a  substitute  for  Dr. 
Charles  Hodge,  who  was  studying  in  Europe.  From  1829 
to  1840  he  was  professor  of  biblical  literature  in  the 
Western  Seminary  at  Allegheny ;  and  for  thirteen  years 
in  the  German  Reformed  Seminary  at  Mercersburg. 
Here  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  Philip  Scliaff,  the  two 


ADDRESS.  381 

moil  addiiij;'  greatly  to  the  t'aiuo  and  power  of  the  insti- 
tution. Dr.  Nevin  was  a  remarkable  thinker  and  teacher, 
and  left  an  indelible  impress  on  his  pupils.  Side  by  side 
with  this  professorship  he  held  for  twelve  years  the  presi- 
doney  of  Marshall  College  at  Mercersl)urg;  for  four  years 
edited  the  "Mercersburg  Review";  and  published  a  large 
number  of  theologieal  works,  many  of  them  of  intrinsic 
and  permanent  value. 

George  Washington  Eaton,  of  the  class  of  1829,  was 
born  at  Huntington,  Pa.,  July  3,  1804,  and  died  at  Ham- 
ilton, N.  Y.,  August  3,  1872.  He  took  no  regular  theo- 
logical course,  and  was  never  a  pastor,  though  ordained 
to  the  Baptist  ministry.  He  was  an  able  and  effective 
preacher,  and  his  paramount  interest  was  the  education 
of  young  men  for  the  ministry.  For  thirty-eight  years 
his  labors  were  given  to  what  is  now  Colgate  University, 
as  professor  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy,  of 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  history,  of  intellectual  and  moral 
philosophy,  of  systematic  theology,  and  as  president  of 
both,  the  seminary  and  the  university.  His  personal  influ- 
ence among  students  and  alumni  was  extraordinary,  and 
his  memory  is  cherished  with  j^eculiar  affection. 

Silas  Totten,  of  the  class  of  1830,  was  born  in  Scho- 
harie County,  N.  Y.,  March  26,  1804,  and  died  at  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  October  7,  1873.  He  was  ordained  to  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  ministry  by  Bishop  Brownell  in  1833. 
The  same  year  he  was  elected  professor  of  mathematics 
and  natural  philosophy  in  Trinity  College,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  from  1837-48  was  its  third  president.  The 
college  prospered  greatly  during  his  administration : 
Brownell  Hall  was  built,  the  library  and  endowments 
were  increased,  and  a  chapter  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  was 
created,  of  which  he  was  the  first  president.  For  eleven 
years  (1848-59)  Dr.  Totten  was  professor  of  belles-lettres 
at  William  and  Mary  College,  Virginia ;  and  for  five  years 
chancellor  of  the  University  of  Iowa.   His  only  rectorship 


382  UNION    COLLEGE. 

was  for  two  years  at  Decatur,  111.,  after  which  he  resumed 
teaching  in  1866  at  Lexington,  Ky. 

Roswell  Park,  of  the  class  of  1831,  was  born  at  Leba- 
non, Conn.,  October  1, 1807,  and  died  at  Ravenswood,  111., 
July  10,  1869.  While  a  sophomore  at  Hamilton  College 
he  received  a  cadetship  at  West  Point,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1831  at  the  head  of  his  class,  performing 
the  feat  which  Mr.  Piero  a  few  moments  ago  described 
as  performed  by  his  friend  Judge  Amasa  J.  Parker. 
He  had  found  time  for  classical  studies,  and  a  brief 
period  of  labor  at  Union  entitled  him  to  his  B.  A.  He 
was  made  lieutenant  in  the  engineer  corps,  and  did 
excellent  work  at  Newport,  Boston,  and  the  Delaware 
Breakwater.  For  six  years  he  was  professor  of  natu- 
ral philosophy  and  chemistry  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1842  he  resigned,  studied  theology  at  Bur- 
lington, N.  J.,  and  was  ordained  to  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  ministry.  He  founded  a  private  school  for 
boys  at  Pomfret,  Conn.,  and  carried  it  on  very  success- 
fully till  1852.  The  next  year  he  was  called  to  become 
the  founder  and  first  president  of  Racine  College,  Wis. 
With  this  work  for  ten  years  he  combined  the  rectorship 
of  a  parish.  He  had  calls  to  the  presidency  of  various 
other  institutions,  among  them  Norwich  University.  He 
was  a  pioneer  in  introducing  scientific  courses  into  the 
college  curriculum,  and  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science.  His  "  Pantology  "  Avas  one  of  the  earliest  efforts 
in  this  country  to  summarize  and  classify  knowledge  in 
encyclopedic  form. 

Erastus  Darwin  McMaster,  of  the  class  of  1827,  was 
born  at  Mercer  Village,  Mercer  County,  Pa.,  February  4, 
1806,  and  died  at  Chicago,  December  10, 1866.  He  studied 
theology  under  his  father.  After  a  seven  years'  pastorate 
at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  he  was  called  to  be  the  second  presi- 
dent of  Hanover  College.    He  found  the  institution  feeble 


ADDRESS.  383 

iu  every  way,  but  led  it  to  a  career  of  prosperity,  which 
was  checked,  however,  by  the  unfortunate  attempt  to 
remove  it  to  the  ueighl)oriiig  city  of  Madison.  For  four 
years  he  was  president  of  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio, 
and  for  eight  years  professor  of  systematic  theology  at 
New  Albany,  Ind.  He  died  six  months  after  assuming 
the  same  chair  in  the  Northwestern  Seminary  at  Chicago. 

John  Ludlow,  of  the  class  of  1814,  was  born  at  Ac- 
quackanonck,  N.  J.,  December  13,  1793,  and  died  at  New 
Brunswick,  N.  J.,  September  8, 1857.  He  was  of  English 
and  Dutch  descent.  He  led  his  class  in  college,  and  hav- 
ing remained  as  a  tutor  for  one  year,  studied  theology  at 
New  Brunswick.  In  1817  he  settled  over  the  Dutch  Ee- 
formed  Church  of  that  city,  and  soon  became  known  for 
his  learning  and  eloquence.  In  1823  he  became  pastor  of 
the  historic  First  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  of  Albany, 
and  served  it  brilliantly  for  eleven  years.  In  1834  he 
was  chosen  seventh  provost  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. His  administration  of  eighteen  years  was 
highly  vigorous  and  successful.  He  permanently  revived 
the  law  school,  and  broadened  the  university  in  every 
direction.  He  preached  almost  constantly,  and  lectured 
before  the  Athenian  Institute,  the  Mercantile  Library  As- 
sociation, and  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  The  last  five 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  teaching  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory and  church  government  at  New  Brunswick. 

Henry  White,  of  the  class  of  1824,  was  born  at  Dur- 
ham, N.  Y.,  June  19,  1800,  and  died  in  New  York  city, 
August  25,  1850.  His  early  years  were  spent  working 
on  the  farm  and  attending  the  district  schools,  and  from 
seventeen  onward  in  teaching.  He  distinguished  him- 
self in  college,  especially  in  mathematics  and  philosophy. 
He  studied  theology  at  Princeton ;  labored  in  the  South 
for  the  American  Bible  Society  for  two  years;  and  in 
1828  was  called  to  the  Allen  Street  Presbyterian  Church 
of  New  York  city.     He  was  a  lucid  and  strong  preacher, 


384  UNION    COLLEGE. 

avoiding  speculations,  and  dwelling  on  revealed  trntlis. 
He  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  metropolis  to 
an  unusual  degree.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Union  Theological  Seminar}'-,  and  its  first  professor  of 
theology.  Here  he  worked  uninterruptedly  for  fourteen 
years.  Indeed,  he  overtaxed  a  slight  frame  already  im- 
paired by  obstinate  dyspepsia,  and  dying  at  the  early 
age  of  fifty,  exclaimed,  "I  am  a  victim  of  overwork." 
He  did  much  to  shape  the  broad,  irenic,  comprehensive 
policy  that  marks  Union  Theological  Seminary. 

Robert  Raikes  Raymond,  of  the  class  of  1837,  was  born 
in  New  York  city,  November  2,  1817,  and  died  at  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  November  16,  1888.  While  in  college  his 
father  failed  in  business,  and  the  son  su2:)ported  himself 
by  writing  for  the  press.  After  graduation  he  continued 
newspaper  work  in  Philadelphia  and  Cincinnati ;  taught 
a  private  school ;  and  read  law  in  the  office  of  Salmon 
P.  Chase.  When  beginning  to  practise  he  felt  himself 
called  to  the  ministry,  and  studied  theology  for  two  years 
at  Madison  University.  He  held  Baptist  pastorates  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  and  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  In  this  latter, 
city  he  was  a  most  eloquent  and  effective  advocate  of 
freedom  as  against  the  recently  enacted  fugitive-slave 
law.  In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1856  he  wrote  the 
famous  song,  to  the  tune  of  the  "Marseillaise,"  whose 
chorus  thrilled  the  country  from  east  to  west : 

Free  press,  free  speech,  free  soil,  free  iiieu, 
Fremont  aud  victory ! 

In  1857  Dr.  Raymond  joined  his  brother  John  Howard 
as  professor  of  English  literature  and  rhetoric  at  the 
Brooklyn  Polytechnic.  Here  and  in  the  Boston  School 
of  Oratory  (of  which  he  was  the  head),  in  his  Shakspere 
class  and  his  dramatic  readings,  and  with  a  great  number 
of  private  pupils,  he  distinctly  elevated  and  advanced  the 
art  of  public  speech  in  America. 


ADDRESS.  385 

Eliplialet  Nott  Potter,  of  the  ela.ss  of  1861,  was  born  at 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  September  20,  1836.  He  is  the  son 
of  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter,  and  has  eight  brothers,  all  of 
wlioni,  like  himself,  have  gained  emin(!iiee.  He  studied 
theology  at  the  Bei'keley  Divinity  School;  did  effective 
mission  work  in  the  Lehigh  Valley;  was  a  chaplain  in  the 
Civil  AYar ;  was  the  first  professor  of  the  Lehigh  L^niver- 
sity ;  and  in  1869  became  rector  of  St.  Paul's,  Troy,  N.  Y. 
In  1871  he  became  president  of  Union  College,  which, 
under  his  administration,  became  Union  University  in 
1873.  [Applause.]  For  thirteen  years  he  filled  this  office 
with  vigor  and  wHde  success,  and  foi-  the  past  eleven  years 
he  has  been  the  efficient  president  of  Hobart  College. 

William  Augustus  Van  Yranken  Mabon,  of  the  class 
of  181:0,  was  born  at  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  January  24, 
1822,  studied  theology  at  New  Brunswick,  and  became 
pastor  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  at  Durham,  Hud- 
son County,  N.  J.,  in  1816.  His  ministry  was  very  suc- 
cessful, but  he  added  to  it  many  other  labors :  for  seven 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  the 
county,  for  seventeen  years  examiner  of  all  the  teachers, 
and  for  five  years  commissioner  for  the  equalization  of 
taxes.  His  last  work  was  done  as  professor  of  theology 
at  New  Brunswick. 

Alexander  McClelland,  of  the  class  of  1809,  after  a  pas- 
torate of  seven  years  in  New  York  city,  devoted  twenty- 
nine  years  to  teaching  at  Dickinson  and  Rutgers  colleges, 
and  at  the  Theological  Seminary  in  New  Brunswick. 
John  Williams  Proudfit,  of  the  class  of  1821,  had  a  use- 
ful pastorate  at  Newbiuyport,  Mass. ;  but  his  chief  work 
was  done  as  professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  New  York  for  seven  years,  and  in  Rutgers  College 
for  nineteen  years.  Hiram  Plummer  Goodrich,  of  the 
class  of  1823,  was  professor  of  biblical  literature  for  ten 
years  at  the  Union  Seminary,  Va. ;  and  John  Holt  Rice, 
probably  the  ablest  and  most  influential  Presbyterian 
25 


386  UNION    COLLEGE. 

minister  of  Ins  day,  said  of  him :  "  He  makes  tlie  ciitical 
study  of  the  Bible  a  means  of  promoting  the  piety  of  the 
students.  He  is  worth  more  than  his  weight  in  gold." 
Cja'us  Mason,  of  the  class  of  1824,  was  professor  in  the 
New  York  University  from  1836-50,  teaching  belles-let- 
tres, political  economy,  and  evidences  of  revealed  reli- 
gion. Maunsell  Van  Rensselaer,  of  the  class  of  1838,  after 
several  brief  rectorships,  was  from  1859-72  president  of 
De  Veaux  College  at  Niagara,  and  from  1872-76  of  Hobart 
College,  Geneva.  John  Gulian  Lansing,  of  the  class  of 
1875,  was  born  in  Damascus,  in  the  street  called  "  Straight." 
He  studied  theology  at  New  Brunswick,  had  successful 
pastorates  at  Mohawk  and  West  Troy,  New  York,  and 
since  1884  has  been  professor  of  Old  Testament  languages 
at  New  Brunswick.  He  is  especially  interested  in  Arabic, 
his  native  tongue,  and  is  the  founder  of  the  Arabian  mis- 
sion. He  has  just  published  a  commentary  on  the  Song 
of  Songs. 

No  one  can  be  more  painfully  sensible  than  I  of  how 
inadequately  this  bi-ief  mention  of  twenty-four  men  rep- 
resents the  work  of  our  clerical  alumni  in  the  department 
of  teaching.  Many  men  that  have  taught  for  the  longest 
periods  and  with  the  most  success  have  not  even  been 
named,  as  William  Thompson,  of  the  class  of  1827,  for 
fifty-five  years  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  John  S.  Kidney,  of  the  class  of  1838,  for 
twenty-four  years  professor  of  divinity  in  the  Seabury 
Divinity  School  of  Fairbault,  Minn.  But  I  have  aimed 
not  so  much  to  give  a  catalogue  of  brilliant  teachers  as 
to  indicate  the  vast  scope  of  their  work.  We  are  wont 
to  think  of  ministers  as  competent  to  teach  only  theology, 
but  our  graduates  have  taught  mathematics,  languages, 
science,  metaphysics,  ethics,  logic,  rhetoric,  oratory — all 
with  notable  power.  They  have  administered  public 
schools,  private  schools,  academies,  colleges,  theological 
seminaries,  universities,  with  brilliant  success.  They 
have  led  the  way  in  nearly  all  valuable  new  departure 


ADUKESS.  Ji87 

in  education,  normal  training;',  scicntitic  courses,  eclectic 
studies,  the  liiglier  and  the  liighest  education  of  women. 
Their  text-books,  from  the  normal  methods  of  Alden  to 
the  loii:ic  of  Ta])pau  and  the  mental  and  moral  sci(Mice  of 
Wayland  and  Hickok,  are  still  instructing  many  times 
the  number  of  those  whom  these  men  reached  by  the 
voice  in  the  class-room.  If  the  story  of  "Union  (College 
iu  the  Ministry"  should  stop  just  liei-e, — where  I  think 
you  would  be  thankful  to  me  if  I  would  stop  [laughter], — 
it  would  l)e  one  of  which  any  institution  of  learning  in 
the  country  might  well  be  proud;  but  I  am  not  going  to 
stop,  even  to  please  you.     [Laughter.] 

Among  our  alumni  are  six  hishops  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Churchy  and  no  greater  names  adorn  the  roll  of 
the  episcopate  in  this  country.  Thomas  Church  Brown- 
ell,  of  the  class  of  1804,  was  born  at  Westport,  Mass., 
October  19,  1779,  and  died  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  January 
13, 1865.  He  was  a  student  at  Brown  University,  1800-02 ; 
and  when  Dr.  Jonathan  Maxcy  was  elected  president  of 
Union  College  young  Brownell  followed  him  here,  and 
was  graduated  the  year  that  Dr.  Nott  succeeded  Dr 
Maxcy.  He  studied  theology  under  Dr.  Nott.  From  his 
graduation  until  1818,  fourteen  years,  he  was  tutor  in 
Latin  and  Greek,  professor  of  belles-lettres  and  moral 
philosophy,  of  chemistry  and  mineralogy.  He  spent  a 
year  in  travel  and  study  in  Europe.  Originally  a  Con- 
gregational! st,  he  was  ordained  to  the  Episcopal  minis- 
try, and  became  assistant  at  Trinity  Church,  New  York. 
The  next  year,  October  27,  1819,  he  was  consecrated  the 
third  bishop  of  Connecticut.  His  administration  of  his 
diocese  was  eminently  wise  and  vigorous.  He  was  the 
chief  founder  of  Trinity  College,  and  its  first  president 
for  seven  years,  1824-31.  From  1852,  for  thirteen  years, 
until  his  death,  he  was  the  presiding  bishop.  He  was  a 
large  contributor  to  the  current  literature  of  the  day,  and 
published  several  valuable  volumes. 

George  Upfold,  of  the  class  of  1814,  was  born  near 


388  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Guildford,  Surrey,  England,  May  7,  1796,  and  died  at  In- 
dianapolis, Ind.,  August  26,  1872.  From  eight  years  of 
age  lie  was  a  resident  of  Albany,  New  York.  He  took  a 
two  years'  course  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  New  York  city,  and  then  entered  upon  the  study 
of  theology  under  Bishop  Hobart.  He  was  rector  suc- 
cessively in  Lausingburgh,  New  York,  Pittsburg,  and 
Lafayette,  Indiana.  He  was  for  twenty-three  years  the 
first  bishop  of  Indiana,  and  performed  the  arduous  labors 
of  a  new  and  very  large  diocese  with  vigor  and  success. 
George  Washington  Doane,  of  the  class  of  1818,  was 
born  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  May  27,  1799,  and  died  at  Bur- 
lington, N.  J.,  April  27,  1859.  He  studied  for  the  minis- 
try at  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  city. 
Ordained  in  1823,  he  was  assistant  at  Trinity  Church, 
New  York,  for  a  year ;  for  four  years  professor  in  Trinity 
College,  Hartford ;  and  for  two  years  assistant,  and  two 
years  rector,  at  Trinity  Church,  Boston.  In  1832  he  was 
consecrated  the  second  bishop  of  New  Jersey.  This  office 
he  held  for  twenty-seven  years.  He  was  indefatigable  in 
labor ;  but  his  controversial  and  somewhat  domineering 
temper  made  him  many  enemies,  and  his  life  was  stormy. 
He  founded  institutions  of  learning  at  Burlington  for 
both  boys  and  g-irls.  He  was  no  mean  poet,  and  his  vol- 
ume called  "  Songs  by  the  Way  "  contains  much  of  merit. 
His  most  popular  hymns  are:  — 

"  Softly  now  the  light  of  day 
Fades  upon  my  sight  away." 

and 

"  Thou  art  the  way :  to  Thee  alone 
From  sin  and  death  we  flee." 

Alonzo  Potter,  of  the  class  of  1818,  was  born  at  La 
Grange,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  July  6,  1800,  and  died 
on  board  the   steamer  Colorado,  in  the  harbor  of  San 


ADDRESS.  .  389 

Francisco,  July  4,  1865.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and 
both  his  parents  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends.  He 
entered  college  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen ;  took  the  first 
rank  in  scholarship,  aiid  was  gra<luated  with  the  highest 
honors.  He  attributed  his  first  love  of  books  to  the  read- 
ing of  "Robinson  Crusoe."  Shortly  after  graduation  he 
was  baptized  and  confirmed  in  Philadelphia,  and  entered 
upon  the  private  study  of  theology.  But  he  was  soon 
called  to  Union  as  a  tutor,  and  at  twenty-one  was  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy.  After  five 
years  he  became  rector  of  St.  Paul's,  Boston,  where  he  at 
once  became  a  power  for  good,  and  soon  brought  the 
church  into  the  first  rank.  But  five  years  of  labor  here 
impaired  his  health,  and  he  returned  to  Union  as  pro- 
fessor of  mental  and  moral  philosophy  and  political  econ- 
omy, a  chair  in  which  he  did  splendid  work  for  thirteen 
years.  For  the  last  seven  years  of  that  period  he  was 
also  vice-president  of  the  college,  and  its  administration 
was  largely  in  his  hands.  During  all  this  time,  his  rela- 
tions with  Dr.  Nott  were  most  intimate.  He  was  really 
a  member  of  the  president's  family,  having  married  his 
only  daughter  in  1824.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  offered 
a  professorship  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary  in 
New  York  city ;  the  presidency  of  Hobart  College,  and 
the  bishoprics  of  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Wes- 
tern New  York,  all  of  which  positions  he  had  declined. 
In  1845  he  accepted  the  bishopric  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
held  it  twenty  years.  The  whole  State  quickly  felt  the 
influence  of  his  zeal  and  labor  and  wisdom.  He  founded 
the  Episcopal  hospital,  academy,  and  divinity  school  of 
Philadelphia ;  established  young  men's  lyceums,  work- 
ingmen's  institutes,  and  popular  lectures;  vigorously 
pushed  the  cause  of  temperance;  and  was  felt  far  and 
wide  in  all  departments  of  education.  His  magnificent 
intellectual  powers  were  splendidly  shown  in  his  sixty 
Lowell  lectures,  1845-53,  delivered  to  immense  crowds, 
25* 


390  .  UNION    COLLEGE. 

without  notes,  and  traversing  the  whole  ground  of  phil- 
osophy. His  character  was  massive  and  solid;  his  life 
clean  and  honest  to  the  last  degree ;  and  his  piety  most 
simple  and  sincere. 

Horatio  Potter,  of  the  class  of  1826,  brother  of  Alonzo, 
was  born  at  La  Grange,  N.  Y.,  February  9, 1802,  and  died 
in  New  York  city,  January  2,  1887.  He  was  ordained  in 
1828,  and  began  his  ministry  at  Saco,  Maine;  but  was 
almost  at  once  made  professor  of  mathematics  and  natu- 
ral philosophy  at  Trinity  College,  where  he  labored  five 
years.  In  1833  he  became  rector  of  St.  Peter's,  Albany, 
and  for  twenty-one  years,  except  for  occasional  absences 
in  Europe  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  labored  with 
marked  success  as  both  preacher  and  pastor.  For  thirty 
years,  1854-84,  he  was  the  active,  wise,  laborious  bishop 
of  New  York.  He  found  the  diocese  distracted,  but  his 
administration  soon  brought  peace.  He  practically  ban- 
ished controversy.  He  made  great  progress  in  popular- 
izing his  church  among  the  poor,  and  the  laboring  classes. 
The  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  consecration  was  ob- 
served with  great  distinction  at  the  Academy  of  Music, 
May  3,  1883 ;  and  the  citizens  of  the  metropolis,  without 
distinction  of  sect,  crowded  to  do  him  honor. 

Abram  Newkirk  Littlejohn,  of  the  class  of  1845,  was 
born  at  Florida,  Montgomery  County,  New  York,  De- 
cember 13,  1824.  He  studied  theology  at  Princeton,  was 
ordained  in  1848,  and  was  rector  successively  at  Amster- 
dam, N.  Y. ;  Meriden,  Conn. ;  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  where  he  remained  nine  years.  He  had 
large  numbers  of  Yale  students  among  his  parishioners, 
and  exerted  over  them  a  most  stimulating  and  salutary 
influence.  From  1860-69  he  was  rector  of  Holy  Trinity, 
Brooklyn,  and  for  the  last  twenty-six  years  he  has  been 
bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Long  Island.  The  chief  monu- 
ment of  his  wise  and  earnest  administration  is  the  mag- 
nificent foundation  at  Garden  City,  with  its  cathedral. 


ADDRESS.  391 

schools,  and  princ'cly  uiulownionts.  From  1874-86  Bisliop 
Littlejohii  had  the  ovei'sight  of  all  the  American  Epis- 
copal churches  in  Europe. 

Our  (clerical  alumni  lidrr  filled  nidni/  'imporUud  cxrciit'ive 
places  in  connection  witli  the  missionary  boards  and  other 
agencies  of  the  Church.  William  Chester,  of  the  class 
of  1815,  was  born  at  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  November  !20, 
1795,  and  died  at  Washington,  D.  C,  May  23,  1865.  His 
father,  John,  commanded  at  Bunker  Hill  the  regiment 
on  whose  action  Webster  said  the  fortunes  of  the  day 
turned.  William  studied  theology  at  Princeton.  He  was 
Presbyterian  pastor  for  three  years  at  Galway,  N.  Y.,  and 
for  eight  years  at  Hudson.  His  ministry  was  greatly 
successful.  The  remaining  thirty-three  years  of  his  life 
were  devoted  to  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Education  as 
agent  and  secretary.  He  did  the  work  of  the  present 
Board  of  Education  and  the  present  Board  of  Aid  for  Col- 
leges and  Academies.  He  was  instrumental  in  founding 
seven  colleges,  and  in  helping  many  others  out  of  finan- 
cial embarrassment.  His  wise  foresight  and  arduous 
labors  have  resulted  in  giving  the  opportunities  of  edu- 
cation to  a  multitude  of  young  men, 

Samuel  H.  Hall,  of  the  class  of  1837,  was  born  in  Ge- 
neva, N.  Y.,  in  1819,  and  died  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  October  10, 
1890.  He  began  the  study  of  law  at  Cleveland,  O.,  but, 
becoming  a  Christian,  decided  to  enter  the  ministry,  and 
pursued  his  studies  in  theology  at  the  Union  Seminary 
in  New  York.  He  had  pastorates  at  Marshall,  Mich.,  and 
at  Syracuse  and  Owego,  N.  Y.  During  the  Civil  War 
lie  did  noble  service  in  the  Christian  Commission.  In 
1865  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  American  Seamen's 
Friend  Society,  and  continued  in  that  office  for  over 
twenty- two  years.  He  presented  the  religious  needs  of 
sailors  with  fervor  and  success  in  a  multitude  of  pulpits, 
and  secured  large  sums  of  money  for  work  in  their  behalf. 

Edwin  Wilbur  Rice,  of  the  class  of  1854,  was  born  near 


392  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Kiiigsboro,  N.  Y.,  July  24,  1831.  He  jji-epared  for  col- 
lege at  the  academies  of  Kiiigsboro  and  Little  Falls.  He 
studied  law  at  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  but  deciding  to  enter 
the  ministry,  took  his  theological  course  at  the  Union 
Seminary,  New  York  city.  He  was  never  a  pastor,  but 
from  1861  to  the  present  has  been  connected  with  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union.  He  has  been  mission- 
ary, district  agent  and  superintendent,  associate  secre- 
tary and  secretary,  assistant  editor  and  editor-in-chief. 
He  has  also  been  the  leader  in  the  financial  management 
of  the  Union,  canceling  a  debt  of  $250,000  and  secur- 
ing a  permanent  endowment  of  $350,000.  Dr.  Rice  has 
shown  a  remarkable  perception  of  what  the  people  need, 
and  will  accejDt,  in  the  way  of  helps  for  Bible  study,  for 
both  old  and  young.  He  has  made  the  lesson  helps, 
from  the  primarj^  to  the  most  advanced  grade,  as  popu- 
lar as  they  are  useful.  His  publications  number  thirty- 
five  volumes,  including  a  history  of  the  books  of  the 
Bible,  a  "People's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  "People's 
Commentary  on  the  Gospels,"  and  many  others.  Nor 
does  the  fact  that  these  books  are  written  for  the  people 
imply  any  lack  of  scholarship  in  them,  for  they  have 
received  the  commendation  of  many  most  thorough  stu- 
dents of  the  Bible.  Few  men  of  this  generation  have 
done  more  than  Dr.  Rice  to  popularize  the  study  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures. 

Time  will  permit  only  the  mention  of  Alfred  Elderkin 
Campbell,  of  the  class  of  1820,  nine  years  secretary  of 
the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union,  and  of  John 
A.  Lansing,  of  the  class  of  1842,  eighteen  years  secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church. 

Our  clerical  alumni  have  done  their  full  share  in  tlie 
tvork  of  foreign  missioiis.  Stephen  Mattoon,  of  the  class 
of  1842,  was  born  in  Champion,  N.  Y.,  May  5,  1816,  and 
died  at  Marion,  0.,  August  15, 1889.  He  studied  theology 
at  Princeton,  and  was  for  twenty  years  (1846-66)  a  mis- 


ADDKESS.  393 

sionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Siani.  Thougii 
bitterly  opposed  at  first,  he  soon  won  the  confidence  of 
the  people.  He  was  the  first  to  translate  the  Gospels 
into  the  Siamese  tongue,  and  his  last  work  there  was  the 
revision  of  the  whole  New  Testament  in  the  vernacular. 
"  He  was  a  leader  in  all  the  enterprises  and  details  con- 
nected with  the  mission,  and  his  prudent  counsel  was 
sought  and  his  advice  accepted  by  all."  After  his  return, 
due  to  the  failing  health  of  his  wife,  he  was  for  four- 
teen years  president  of  Biddle  University  at  Charlotte, 
N.  C,  and  for  half  that  period  was  also  professor  of  the- 
ology. Samuel  R.  House,  of  the  class  of  1837,  who  bap- 
tized the  first  convert  after  twelve  years  of  the  hardest 
pioneer  labor,  and  Stephen  Bush,  of  the  class  of  1845, 
have  also  been  missionaries  in  Siam. 

Gulian  Lansing,  of  the  class  of  1847,  studied  at  the 
Newburg  Theological  Seminary,'and  early  in  1851  reached 
Damascus,  his  chosen  field  of  labor.  At  the  end  of  one 
year  he  was  able  to  preach  in  Arabic.  After  five  years 
failing  health  compelled  his  return,  but  he  so  improved 
at  sea  that  he  at  once  set  sail  again  for  the  Orient.  Late 
in  1857  he  reached  Cairo,  which  for  thirty-five  years,  till 
his  death,  September  12,  1892,  was  the  scene  of  his  in- 
defatigable labors.  He  was  called  the  "  Head  of  the  Ameri- 
can Mission  in  Egypt."  For  many  years  he  was  pastor 
of  a  church  at  Cairo,  and  taught  Hebrew  and  hermeneu- 
tics  to  young  men  in  training  for  the  ministry.  He  was 
a  man  of  wide  and  accurate  scholarship,  of  simple  faith, 
of  undaunted  courage,  and  of  boundless  persistence  in 
his  work. 

Augustus  Brodhead,  of  the  class  of  1855,  was  born  at 
Milford,  Pa.,  May  13,  1831,  and  died  at  Toronto,  Can., 
August  29, 1887.  He  studied  theology  at  Princeton.  No- 
vember 7,  1858,  he  sailed  for  India  as  a  missionary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board,  twice  narrowly  escaping  shipwreck 
during  the  voyage.     He  labored  twenty  years  in  all  the 


39-1:  UNION    COLLEGE. 

various  activities  of  a  missionary's  life,  editing  the  mis- 
sion magazine  and  publishing  valuable  books  in  the  na- 
tive language,  preparing  a  hymn-book  for  Sunday-schools 
and  church  services,  cooperating  with  the  Bible  and  Tract 
societies,  and  constantly  preaching  the  gospel.  His  busi- 
ness capacity  was  marked,  and  he  largely  managed  the 
financial  affairs  of  the  mission.  His  excellent  judgment, 
kind  heart,  and  most  exemplary  piety  endeared  him  to 
a  very  wide  circle  of  friends,  and  made  his  influence  in 
India  exceptionally  great.  Ill  health  compelled  his  re- 
turn, and  his  last  years  were  spent  nsefully  in  the  pas- 
torate at  Bridgeton,  N.  J. 

The  work  of  many  of  our  clerical  alumni  has  been  so 
varied,  and  much  of  it  so  far  aside  from  the  ordinary  rou- 
tine of  the  ministry,  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  classify  them. 
Robert  Jefferson  Breckinridge,  of  the  class  of  1819,  was 
born  at  Cabell's  Dale,  Kentucky,  March  8,  1800,  and  died 
at  Danville,  Kentucky,  December  27,  1871.  He  studied 
law,  and  practised  it  for  eight  years,  meanwhile  being  a 
member  of  the  Kentucky  legislature  for  four  sessions. 
He  spent  a  year  at  Princeton  Seminary,  and  in  1832 
became  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  had  a  successful  pastorate  of 
thirteen  years.  For  eight  years  of  this  period  he  was 
editor  of  the  Baltimore  "  Literary  and  Religious  Maga- 
zine." For  two  years  (1845-47)  he  was  president  of  Jef- 
ferson College.  For  the  six  years  following  he  was  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Lexington,  and  Su- 
perintendent of  Public  Instruction  for  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky. For  sixteen  years  (1853-69)  he  was  professor  of 
systematic  and  polemic  theology  at  Danville.  In  all 
these  varied  positions  he  displayed  large  grasp  of  in- 
tellect and  indefatigable  industry.  He  was  a  stanch 
unionist  during  the  Civil  War,  and  did  much  to  hold 
his  State  to  loyalty,  or  rather  to  prevent  its  secession. 
He  was  a  born  controversialist.     His  attacks  on  Roman 


ADDRESS.  395 

Catholicism  were  oxtromoly  bitter.  He  was  the  author 
of  the  Act  and  Testimony  of  1834,  which  played  so 
large  a  part  in  the  disruption  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  1837:  and  he  steadfastly  opposed  the  re-union  which 
was  acconii)lished  in  1870. 

Sheldon  Jackson,  of  the  class  of  1855,  was  born  at 
Minaville,  New  Yoi-k,  May  18,  1834.  He  took  a  full 
course  of  three  years  at  Princeton,  and  receiving  ordina- 
tion by  the  presbytery  of  x^lbany,  went  at  once  as  mis- 
sionary to  the  Choctaws.  For  five  years  he  was  a  home 
missionary  at  La  Crescent,  Minn.,  and  for  another  five 
pastor  at  Rochester  in  the  same  State.  From  1869-82  he 
was  superintendent  of  Presbyterian  Home  Missions  in 
all  the  Rock}"  Mountain  region.  His  restless  activity, 
ardent  zeal,  unflagging  energy,  and  marvelous  executive 
talent  did  wondei's  for  the  extension  of  religion  and  the 
organization  of  churches  in  the  Territories.  He  was  pio- 
neer, prospector,  administrator,  all  in  one.  No  man  was 
more  quick  to  see  an  opportunity,  or  more  efficient  to 
seize  it.  In  1872  he  established  a  newspaper  called  "  The 
Rocky  Mountain  Presbyterian"  at  Denver;  in  1882  it 
was  transferred  to  New  York  city  under  the  name  of 
"  The  Presbyterian  Home  Missionary,"  and  for  three  years 
he  was  in  control  of  it.  He  brought  many  Indian  chil- 
dren from  the  far  West  to  be  educated  at  Hampton,  Va., 
and  Carlisle,  Pa. ;  and  probably  no  other  man  had  the 
confidence  of  the  tribes  sufficiently  to  procure  these  chil- 
dren at  that  date,  1879.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
perceive  the  needs  and  opportunities  in  Alaska,  and 
whatever  work  of  civilization  is  going  on  in  that  remote 
country  owes  its  initiative  principally  to  him.  For  the 
last  ten  years  (1885-95)  he  has  been  the  general  agent  of 
the  United  States  for  education  in  Alaska,  under  the  In- 
terior Department.  He  found  the  nativ^es  facing  actual 
starvation  owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  seal  and  the 
walrus,  and  has  conducted  the  successful  experiment  of 


396  UNION    COLLEGE. 

introducing  Siberian  reindeer.  There  is  little  of  our  ter- 
ritory, from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Aleutian  Islands,  over 
which  Dr.  Jackson  has  not  traveled  on  religious  and 
humanitarian  errands,  and  the  whole  broad  expanse  is 
dotted  with  the  monuments  of  his  wisdom  and  energy. 

Allen  Wright,  of  the  class  of  1852,  was  for  four  years 
—  the  longest  period  allowed  by  law — governor,  or  prin- 
cipal chief,  of  the  Choctaw  Nation  of  Indians.  He  was 
also  superintendent  of  their  schools.  The  Indian  Office 
report  for  1869  speaks  in  glowing  terms  of  the  Nation's 
progress  in  agriculture  and  education  under  his  leader- 
ship. He  was  many  times  their  representative  before 
the  Interior  Department  and  before  committees  of  Con- 
gress at  Washington  ;  and  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
that  negotiated  the  last  treaty  with  the  Choctaws, —  that 
of  1866, —  in  which  slavery  among  them,  or  involuntary 
servitude  except  for  crime,  is  abolished.  His  latest  offi- 
cial visit  to  Washington  was  in  1882. 

Frederick  Z.  Rooker,  of  the  class  of  1884,  took  his  theo- 
logical studies  and  degrees  at  the  American  College  in 
Rome,  of  which  he  was  at  once  on  graduation  appointed 
vice-rector.  He  had  the  general  management  of  the  in- 
stitution, with  regular  classes  in  the  college,  and  with 
frequent  lectures  on  dogmatic  theology  at  the  Propa- 
ganda, as  supplying  the  place  of  Mgr.  Satolli,  then  hold- 
ing that  chair.  After  six  years  of  this  service  he  was 
made  secretary  to  the  apostolic  delegation  at  Washing- 
ton, which  high  and  responsible  position  he  now  holds. 
He  is  the  first  American  to  hold  a  commission  in  the 
official  representation  of  the  Holy  See  in  this  or  in  any 
other  country. 

Perhaps  we  should  have  a  category  of  authors.  Nearly 
all  the  men  thus  far  named  have  done  something  in 
authorship;  many  of  them  much  of  permanent  value. 
Among  these,  along  with  Alden  and  Rice,  our  most  pro- 
lific writers,  should  be  mentioned  Alexander  Dickson,  of 


ADDRESS.  397 

the  class  of  1S4G,  not  for  the  number  of  his  books, — for 
he  has  published  only  two, —  but  for  their  quality.  "AH 
About  Jesus,"  and  "  Beauty  for  Ashes  "  are  among  the  best 
devotional  volumes  in  the  language.  The  former  has  been 
likened  by  reviewers  to  Bunyan  and  Rutherford,  and  by 
Dr.  Charles  Hodge  to  St.  Bernard.  Although  Dv.  Dick- 
son was  in  the  pastorate  only  ten  years,  he  has  been  do- 
ing an  essentially  pastoral  service  of  comforting  the  sor- 
rowing through  these  volumes  for  twice  that  period. 

I  have  mentioned  but  forty-seven  names  out  of  the 
1312  on  our  clerical  roll  —  do  you  not  feel  discouraged? 
[Laughter.]  Yet  what  a  total  of  solid,  substantial  work 
do  their  lives  represent !  If  we  could  summon  before  us 
all  that  have  been  influenced  for  good  by  their  wi-itings, 
their  instruction,  their  administration  of  sacred  trusts, 
what  a  throng  would  fill  and  overflow  this  spacious  cam- 
pus !  Yet  it  would  be  but  a  fraction  of  those  that  have 
come  under  the  cultured  and  Christian  power  of  our 
alumni  in  the  ministrJ^  For  most  of  the  remaining  1265 
have  been  pastors  of  churches  in  nearly  all  the  denomin- 
ations in  this  land.  This  does  not  mean  fame.  It  means 
generally  only  a  local  reputation.  But  it  means  a  verdict 
by  the  jury  of  the  vicinage  of  clean  and  honest  lives;  of 
faithful  preaching  of  saving  truth ;  of  quiet,  self-denying 
ministry  to  the  poor,  the  sutTering,  the  dying ;  of  a  mighty 
total  of  influence  thrown  for  every  genuine  reform,  and 
for  all  generous,  exalted  thinking  and  living. 

Some  of  our  clerical  alumni  have  been  remarkable, 
among  other  things, /or  the  lem/fJi  of  tlie'w  pastorates  orer 
the  same  eougregations.  William  R.  DeWitt,  of  the  class 
of  1816,  was  born  at  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y.,  February  25,  1792, 
and  died  at  Harrisburgh,  Pa.,  December  23,  1867.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  studied  theology 
with  Dr.  Alexander  Proudfit  at  Salem,  and  with  Di-.  John 
M.  Mason  in  New  York  city.  His  only  settlement  was 
over  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Harrisburgh,  Pa.,  from 


398  UNION    COLLEGE. 

1818  till  his  death,  forty-nine  years.  His  congregation 
at  the  capital  embraced  many  of  the  most  learned  and 
thoughtful  men  of  the  great  commonwealth,  and  he  held 
them  by  force  of  ability  and  character. 

vSamuel  M.  Haskins,  of  the  class  of  1836,  was  born  in 
Waterford,  Me.,  May  29,  1813,  and  prepared  for  college 
at  Bridgeton,  near  his  native  place.  He  studied  theology 
at  the  General  Seminary  in  New  York  city,  and  his  only 
pastorate  has  been  over  8t.  Mark's  Protestant  Episco})al 
Church  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  for  fifty-six  years.  Three 
congregations  have  colonized  from  St.  Mark's,  and  twenty- 
five  young  men  have  gone  from  it  into  the  ministry,  two 
of  whom  have  become  bishops. 

Thomas  DeWitt,  of  the  class  of  1808,  was  born  at  Kings- 
ton, N.  Y.,  September  13,  1791,  and  died  in  New  York  city. 
May  18,  1874.  He  studied  theology  at  New  Brunswick. 
He  was  pastor  of  the  Hopewell  and  New  Hackensack 
Reformed  (Dutch)  churches  for  fifteen  years,  and  of  the 
Collegiate  Church,  New  York  city,  for  forty-seven  years. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  Columbia  and  Rutgers  colleges,  vice- 
president  and  president  of  the  New  York  Historical  So- 
ciety, and  from  its  early  days  a  member  of  the  Council  of 
the  University  of  New  York.  The  meti-opolis  had  no 
more  honored  and  worthy  citizen. 

John  Dunlap  Wells,  of  the  class  of  1838,  was  born  at 
Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  October  25,  1815.  For  eight  years 
after  graduation  here  he  was  principal  of  an  academy  at 
Huntsville,  Alabama.  He  studied  theology  at  Princeton, 
and  after  some  six  years  of  service  in  teaching  and  as 
stated-supply,  he  became  pastor  of  the  South  Third  Street 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has 
continued  to  this  day,  forty-five  years.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  his  chm'ch 
for  forty-one  years,  and  its  president  for  the  past  ten 
years ;  also  a  trustee  of  Princeton  Seminary  for  twenty 
years. 


ADDRESS.  )^99 

James  Kobert  Graham,  of  tlio  class  of  1844,  was  born 
at  Montgomery,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  July  16,  1824. 
He  taught  several  years  at  Union  after  graduation;  then 
studied  theology  at  Princeton.  Since  1851,  for  foi'ty- 
four  years,  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  Kent  Street  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Winchester,  Va.  For  over  forty-two 
years  he  has  been  stated  clerk  of  his  presliytery,  I  Ije- 
lieve  an  unparalleled  term  of  continuous  service.  In  1894 
he  was  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  (South). 

William  Carpenter  Wisner,  of  the  class  of  1830,  was 
born  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  December  7,  1808,  and  died  at 
Lockport,  July  14,  1880.  He  studied  theology  privately, 
was  ordained  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three ;  and  after 
five  years'  various  service  settled  over  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Lockport,  where  he  remained  thirty-nine  years. 
He  was  a  man  of  solid  learning,  and  his  speech  was  en- 
livened by  brilliant  wit.  He  labored  very  successfully 
in  many  revivals,  and  became  known  and  loved  in  all 
Western  New  York.  He  was  twenty-five  years  a  trustee 
of  Hamilton  College,  and  eleven  years  of  Auburn  Semi- 
nary, to  which  he  left  his  valuable  private  library. 

Alexander  McLeod,  of  the  class  of  1798,  was  born  in 
the  Island  of  Mull,  Scotland,  June  12,  1774,  and  died  in 
New  York  city,  February  17,  1833.  His  only  pastorate, 
of  thirty-two  years,  was  over  the  First  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  New  York.  His  remarkable  elo- 
quence gave  him  wide  fame.  He  was  one  of  the  editors 
of  "The  Christian  Magazine"  and  a  prolific  writer.  As 
early  as  1802  he  published  a  volume  entitled  "  Negro 
Slavery  Unjustifiable,"  which  was  of  sufficient  value  to 
be  re-published  in  1860. 

Charles  Newman  Waldrou,  of  the  class  of  1846,  was 
born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  December  25,  1821,  and  died 
at  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  2,  1888.  He  studied  theology  at 
Princeton,  and  after  a  few  months  as  stated-supjily  at 


400  UNION    COLLEGE. 

East  Hampton,  Long  Island,  settled  over  the  Reformed 
(Dntcli)  Clim-cli  at  Cohoes,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  thirty 
years.  He  was  a  strong.  Scriptural,  scholarly  preacher ; 
a  modest,  devout  Christian,  and  did  a  work  of  permanent 
value. 

James  McFarlane  Matthews,  of  the  class  of  1803,  was 
born  at  Salem,  N.  Y.,  March  18,  1785,  and  died  in  New 
York  city,  January  28,  1870.  He  studied  theology  at 
New  Brunswick,  and  was  associate  professor  of  ecclesi- 
astical history  there  for  ten  years.  He  founded  the  South 
Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  in  Garden  Str-eet,  New  York, 
and  was  its  pastor  for  twenty-nine  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  its  first  chancellor,  1831-39. 

Charles  S.  Vedder,  of  the  class  of  1851,  was  a  tutor 
here ;  studied  theology  at  Columbia,  S.  C;  was  pastor  for 
fi.ve  years  at  Summerville;  in  1867  was  called  to  the 
Huguenot  Church  of  Charleston,  where  he  is  still  in  act- 
ive service  after  twenty-eight  years.  His  influence  in 
the  city  and  State  has  been,  and  is,  potent  for  good.  He 
is  a  public  school  commissioner  for  Charleston,  presi- 
dent of  the  Charleston  Bible  Society,  of  the  City  Board 
of  Missions,  of  the  Training  School  for  Nurses,  and  of 
the  New  England  Society.  Many  of  his  sermons,  plat- 
form addresses,  and  poems  have  been  published. 

William  Melancthon  Johnson,  of  the  class  of  1858,  was 
born  at  Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  May  1,  1834.  He  took  the  full 
three  years'  course  in  theology  at  Princeton;  was  pastor 
six  years  at  Stillwater,  N.  Y.;  in  1867  was  called  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Cohoes,  which  he  continues  to 
serve  after  twenty-eight  years.  His  ministry  has  been 
most  diligent  and  efficient,  and  he  has  the  confidence  and 
affection  of  all  his  fellow-townsmen. 

Ichabod  Smith  Spencer,  of  the  class  of  1822,  was  born 
at  Rupert,  Vt.,  Februarj^  23,  1798,  and  died  at  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  November  23,  1854.     He  prepared  for  college  at 


ADDKESS.  401 

Salem,  N.  Y.,  wIrto  he  (Mijuyod  the  friciidsliip  and  coun- 
sels of  Dr.  Proudfit.  After  graduation,  lie  was  for  six 
years  principal  of  academies  at  Schenectady  and  Canan- 
daig'ua,  meanwhile  studying  theology  under  the  direction 
of  Dr.  Andrew  Yates,  professor  of  moral  pliilosophy  at 
Union.  From  1828-32  he  was  colleague  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  ( -liurcli  at  Northami)ton,  Mass.;  and  then 
until  his  death, —  twenty-two  years, — of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  stood  well  toward 
the  head  of  the  ministry  of  his  day ;  and  in  some  respects, 
as,  for  example,  in  dealing  with  inquirers,  he  was  peer- 
less. This  appears  in  his  two  series  of  "Pastor's 
Sketches,"  which  have  been  published  in  England  and 
translated  into  French.  He  was  called  to  leading  pulpits 
in  New  Y^ork,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Cincinnati,  and  other 
cities,  and  to  the  presidency  of  Hamilton  College,  and  of 
the  University  of  Alabama.  He  was  one  of  the  founders, 
and  for  thirteen  years  a  director  of  Union  Seminary. 

Stealey  Bates  Rossiter,  of  the  class  of  1865,  was  born 
at  Berne,  Albany  County,  N.  Y.,  and  prepared  for  college 
at  Kinderhook.  He  studied  theology  at  Union  Semin- 
ary, New  York  city.  After  four  years'  pastorate  over 
the  First  Congregational  Chm'ch  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  he 
was  called  to  the  North  Presbyterian  Church  of  New 
York  city,  which  he  has  served  with  great  ability  and 
success  for  twenty-two  years,  and  where  he  still  remains 
—  and  we  all  know  why  since  we  heard  him  last  night. 

But  desirable  and  influential  as  are  long  pastorates, 
briefer  ones  sometimes  indicate  that  high  order  of  talent 
for  which  many  churches  compete,  and  which  leads  to 
more  frequent  changes.  Phineas  Dinsmore  Gurley,  of 
the  class  of  1837,  was  graduated  here  with  the  highest 
honors,  and  was  known  at  Princeton  Seminary  for  his 
high  stand  as  scholar,  gentleman,  and  Christian.  He  was 
for  eleven  years  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Indianapolis ;  for  four  years  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
26 


402  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Church  at  Dayton,  0.,  and  for  fourteen  years  of  the  New 
York  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  of  Washington,  D,  C, 
where  he  was  the  trusted  friend  and  counsellor  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  Charles  Wadsworth,  of  the  same  class 
(1837),  in  a  period  of  forty  years,  was  pastor  of  a  church 
in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  of  another  at  San  Francisco,  and  of  four 
churches  in  Philadelphia.  He  was  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant preachers  of  his  day,  and  always  had  crowded  audi- 
ences. He  was  poet  as  well  as  orator.  A  noble  presence, 
a  melodious  voice,  an  inexhaustible  imagination,  and  in- 
tense earnestness,  made  his  eloquence  irresistible.  Nel- 
son Millard,  of  the  class  of  1853,  was  four  years  a  tutor 
here;  studied  theology  at  Princeton  and  Union  and  in 
Europe,  and  has  been  pastor  at  Montclair,  N.  J. ;  at  Chi- 
cago; Peekskill,  N.  Y. ;  Syracuse;  Norwich,  Conn.,  and 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  is  at  present.  In  all  these 
commanding  pulpits  he  has  been  noted  for  clear  and  pro- 
found thinking,  for  breadth  of  view,  and  for  vigor  and 
effectiveness  of  speech.  George  Alexander,  of  the  class 
of  1866,  was  pastor  for  fourteen  years  of  the  East  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Schenectady,  raising  it  from  in- 
fancy to  a  vigorous  maturity,  doing  a  truly  missionary 
and  apostolic  work,  meanwhile  filling  a  professorship  in 
the  college.  For  eleven  years  he  has  been  pastor  of  the 
University  Place  Church  in  New  York  city,  where  he  is 
universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  preachers  and 
wisest  counsellors  of  the  metropolis.  Since  1884  he  has 
been  a  director  of  Princeton  Seminary,  of  which  he  is  an 
alumnus.  Thomas  McCauley,  of  the  class  of  1804,  was 
tutor  and  professor  here  for  eighteen  years;  pastor  in 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  again  in  New  York;  a 
founder  of  Union  Seminary,  and  for  three  years  one  of 
its  professors.  He  had  genuine  Irish  wit  and  pathos,  and 
was  one  of  the  few  Scotch-Irish  ministers  to  join  the 
New  School  Church  at  the  division  in  1837.  Greorge 
Smith  Boardman,  of  the  class  of  1816,  studied  theology 


ADDKESS.  403 

at  Pi'iiieetoii ;  was  an  itinerant  missionary  in  Ohio  and 
Kentucky,  then  the  "  Far  West " ;  was  pastor  at  Water- 
town,  Rochester,  Rome,  Cherry  Valley,  Cazenovia,  Og- 
densburg,  and  Little  Falls.  He  was  known  through  all 
central  and  western  New  York  as  an  able  preacher  and 
a  faithful  pastor.  Abiel  Sherwood,  of  the  class  of  1817, 
studied  theology  at  Andover,  and  spent  his  ministerial 
life  in  the  South  and  West.  He  was  eminent  as  a  moving 
and  convincing  preacher.  A  revival  began  in  his  church 
at  Eatonton,  Ky.,  in  1827,  that  spread  over  the  entire 
State.  He  was  a  prolific  writer,  and  his  later  years  were 
devoted  to  teaching.  Abraham  Brooks  Van  Zandt,  of  the 
class  of  1840,  studied  theology  at  Princeton,  and  was  pas- 
tor at  Newbury,  N.  Y.,  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  in  New  Yoi-k 
city.  He  was  also  for  nine  years  professor  in  the  semin- 
ary at  New  Brunswick.  He  was  an  eloquent  preacher, 
and  the  foremost  scholar  of  his  day  in  his  denomination. 
Dwight  Kellogg  Bartlett,  of  the  class  of  1854,  studied 
theology  at  Princeton,  and  was  pastor  at  Stamford,  Conn., 
and  at  Rochester  and  Albany,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong,  vigorous  intellect,  and  of  the  highest  character. 
Grideon  Parsons  Nicols,  of  the  class  of  1860,  studied  the- 
ology at  Princeton,  was  ten  years  pastor  of  the  Immanuel 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  has  now 
been  fourteen  years  over  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  a  model  preacher  and  pastor.  John 
Jermain  Porter,  of  the  class  of  1843,  studied  theology  at 
Princeton,  and  has  been  an  efficient  minister  at  Kingston, 
Pa.;  Buffalo,  St.  Louis,  and  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  in  the  last- 
named  place  seventeen  years.  William  Willet  Harsha,  of 
the  class  of  1843,  has  been  pastor  at  Galena,  Hanover, 
Dixon,  Chicago,  and  Jacksonville,  111,,  and  at  Tecumseh, 
Neb.,  and  is  now  professor  of  theology  in  the  Omaha 
Seminary. 

The  simple  mention  of  these  twenty-five  names  is  suf- 
ficient to  show  how  wide-spread  has  been  the  influence 


404  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  our  clerical  alumni  in  the  pastorate.  From  North  to 
South,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  they  have 
filled  leading  pulpits  in  all  the  great  cities,  and  no  min- 
isters have  surpassed  them  in  intelligence,  wisdom,  zeal, 
fidelity,  scholarship,  eloquence,  and  practical  efficiency. 
But  there  are  1240,  unnamed  in  this  paper,  who  have 
labored  in  towns  and  villages  and  rural  parishes,  with  as 
unsparing  self-denial  and  as  painstaking  fidelity  as  the 
most  brilliant  man  in  all  the  list.  And  their  work  has 
been  as  valuable  to  men,  and  as  honoring  to  Grod,  in  their 
humbler  sphere.  Would  that  I  could  hold  before  you 
every  name  and  every  life  for  your  reverent  admiration ! 
I  must  mention  just  one  more  who  has  been  thus  far 
a  pastor  at  Paterson  and  Plainfield,  N.  J.,  and  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  whose  future  I  will  not  venture  to  predict  further 
than  to  say  that  it  will  certainly  be  vigorous,  faithful, 
and  successful ;  a  member  of  the  class  of  1875 ;  our  hon- 
ored and  beloved  President,  Andrew  Van  Vranken  Ray- 
mond. Under  his  masterful  leadership,  we  believe  Union 
College  is  to  renew  not  her  youth  only,  for  that  was  a 
period  of  weakness ;  but  the  best  conditions  of  her  prime. 
As  it  was  the  personal  influence  of  Dr.  Nott  that  sent  so 
large  a  proportion  of  our  alumni  into  the  Christian  min- 
istry, so  we  hope  it  will  be  the  high  character,  charming 
personality,  and  warm  piety  of  Dr.  Raymond  that  will 
again  bring  this  profession  to  the  front  in  the  estimation 
of  Union's  students.  The  ministry  is  no  longer,  indeed, 
the  one  learned  profession.  It  commands  less  ex-officio 
notice  than  a  hundred,  or  even  fifty,  years  ago.  Clergy- 
men to-day,  like  other  men,  must  stand  or  fall  on  their 
merits  or  demerits.  But  now,  as  always,  no  other  calling 
touches  human  life  at  so  many  vital  points,  or  ministers 
to  such  crying  and  irrepressible  needs  of  man.  While 
the  consciousness  of  sin  remains  a  part  of  our  thinking, 
while  we  fear  death  and  the  unknown  future,  while  the 
hope  of  immortality  rises  in  our  hearts  and  cries  out  for 


ADDRESS.  405 

a  reassuring  word  of  promise,  while  social  and  civic 
evils  demand  reform,  while  so  large  a  portion  of  our 
race  sit  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  must  ever  stand,  where  it  has  always  stood, 
in  the  forefront  of  the  forces  that  make  for  I'ighteousness 
and  happiness.  The  newspaper  cannot  do  the  work  of 
the  living  voice,  nor  the  book  bi-ing  the  comfort  in  sick- 
ness, sorrow,  and  death  of  the  living  person.  Man  must 
meet  man  face  to  face  in  all  the  supreme  matters  of  sin 
and  salvation.  And  this  service — for  it  is  only  in  the 
most  superficial  sense  a  profession  —  appeals  to  all  that 
is  most  chivalrous  and  heroic  in  young  manhood.  The 
call  is  not  to  riches,  or  reputation,  or  alluring  honors, 
but  to  service  for  men  and  for  God.  It  may  mean  pov- 
erty, obscurity,  life-long  hardships  ;  but  it  carries  its  own 
daily  and  sufficient  reward.  For  this  service  we  covet 
the  best  of  Union's  sons.  We  glory  in  the  men  that  have 
made  her  name  famous  in  business,  medicine,  law,  poli- 
tics, statesmanship.  It  has  stirred  our  hearts  most  pro- 
foundly to  hear  the  stories  of  their  deeds.  But  we  believe 
that  in  no  department  of  activity  has  Union  College  more 
honored  herself  and  blessed  the  world  than  in  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  And  we  long  to  see  this  brilliant  and 
beneficent  past  more  than  reproduced  in  the  years  to 
come.  The  ministry  more  than  ever  demands  the  widest 
and  deepest  culture ;  the  best  graces  of  speech  ;  the  clear- 
est and  strongest  thinking ;  and  above  all  that  practical 
grasp  of  the  problems  of  life  that  has  always  been  the 
crown  of  Union's  training.  Maj'  the  brightest  and  best 
young  men  of  our  beloved  land  seek  their  education  here; 
and  may  the  brightest  of  the  brightest,  and  the  best  of 
the  best,  enter  the  Christian  Ministry. 


26* 


ADDRESS 

BY  JOHN  VAN  RENSSELAER  HOFF,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 

Of  the  Class  of  1871. 
UNION   COLLEGE   IN   THE   MEDICAL   PROFESSION. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  Wrote  a 
late  distinguished  medical  teacher,  "When  Boer- 
haave,  the  most  accomplished  and  celebrated  physician 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  died,  he  left  behind  him  an 
elegant  volume,  the  title-page  of  which  declared  that  it 
contained  all  the  secrets  of  medicine.  On  opening  the 
volume  every  page  except  one  was  blank ;  on  that  one 
was  written  :  '  Keep  the  head  cool,  the  feet  warm,  and  the 
bowels  open.'  This  legacy  of  Boerhaave  to  suffering 
humanity  typified,  not  inaptly  or  unjustly,  the  acquire- 
ments of  medical  art  at  the  close  of  the  last  century." 
Let  us  not  forget,  however,  that  substantial  advances  in 
our  knowledge  of  the  human  body,  its  form,  functions, 
and  material  had  been  made  ;  much  was  known  that  more 
ancient  philosophy  had  not  dreamed  of,  but  at  the  dawn 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  it  has  been  said,  "  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  practitioners,  slaves  of  a  routine  which  author- 
ity had  sanctioned,  were  guided  solely  by  empiricism." 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  made  by  our  fathers, 
and  the  epidemic  of  war  which  followed  it,  and  which 
for  an  entire  generation  possessed  the  earth,  in  changing 
the  political  and  social  relations  of  the  nations  and  peo- 


ADDRESS.  407 

pies,  gave  an  immense  impetus  to  seieuoe ;  so  it  is  not 
extravagant  to  assert  "that  in  all  this  turmoil,  change, 
and  progress,  medicine  has  kept  abreast  of  the  other 
natural  sciences,  of  politics  and  of  theology,  and  made 
equal  conquests  over  authority,  error,  and  tradition." 

It  was  during  this  period  of  intense  activity,  mental 
and  physical,  and  but  twenty  years  after  Lexington, 
where 

.   .    .   the  embattled  fai'iners  stood 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world, 

that  Union  College  was  founded.  Even  then  the  last 
British  soldier  had  not  yet  left  the  soil  of  the  new-born 
repuVdic,  and  the  now  independent  States  were  just  be- 
ginning to  rise,  AntjBus-like,  with  renewed  strength  to 
the  gigantic  task  of  developing  the  land. 

It  is  most  surprising  that  at  the  very  beginning  of 
this  era  of  development,  when,  from  the  conditions  of 
the  situation,  the  material  things,  the  bare  necessaries 
of  life,  demanded  the  first  thought,  founders  could  have 
found  time  to  consider  and  appreciate  the  supreme  value 
of  education  to  the  perpetuity  of  their  new-born  nation. 
"  We  had  become  a  people  of  one  heart  and  one  mind, 
of  equal  rights  and  like  obligations.  The  responsibili- 
ties the  change  imposed  were  not  long  in  being  felt.  A 
form  of  govei'ument  won  by  the  valor  and  founded  on 
the  sovereignty  of  the  people  could  only  be  perpetuated 
by  the  preservation  of  popular  virtue  and  the  spread  of 
popular  intelligence.  The  first  thought,  therefore,  of  our 
statesmen  was  the  promotion  of  public  education." ' 

The  fomiding  of  Union  College,  and  the  establishment 
of  the  public-school  system  in  our  State,  which  occurred 
almost  simultaneously,  were  among  the  first  evidences 
that  the  impetus  given  to  science  by  the  turmoil  and 
confusion  of  war  was  having  its  effect  here.     Before  this 

1  Hon.  Isaiah  Towuseud,  Class  of  '31. 


408  UNION    COLLEGE. 

we  had  no  scientists,  for  the  actualities  of  life  occupied 
our  people  and  had  to  be  met  each  day  as  they  arose. 
There  was  little  time  for  study  and  less  for  research. 
We  "inherited  the  traditions,  the  superstitions,  the  theo- 
ries, the  authority,  and  the  empirical  results  of  Europe," 
but  their  sifting  for  the  grain  of  truth  remained  for  a 
later  day.  Particularly  was  this  so  of  the  science  of  medi- 
cine, whose  followers  were  compelled  to  devote  themselves 
wholly  and  solely  to  the  care  of  the  sick.  There  was  then 
no  overcrowding  of  the  profession,  and  no  time  or  place 
for  physicians  as  original  investigators  and  natural  phil- 
osophers. 

The  influence  of  our  college  upon  the  medical  profes- 
sion, so  far  as  it  is  tangible  and  to  be  measured,  must  be 
sought  for  in  the  history  of  the  lives  of  her  graduates. 
No  one  can  hope  on  an  occasion  like  this  to  enumerate 
all  who  have  striven  manfully  in  their  calling,  many  of 
whom,  after  lives  full  of  devotion  to  humanity,  have 
departed,  leaving  only  a  tradition ;  while  others  have 
written  their  names  high  in  the  temple  of  science.  Yet 
whether  they  be  known  to  fame,  or  remembered  only  in 
the  prayers  of  the  lowly  but  grateful,  we  feel  sure  that 
all  have  sustained  the  good  name  of  our  alma  mater. 

The  first  graduate  of  Union  College  to  receive  the  de- 
gree in  medicine  was  John  Nash  Smith,  class  of  1798,  of 
whom,  unfortunatelj^  the  records  at  my  command  tell 
nothing  save  that  he  paid  his  debt  to  nature  in  1829, 
having  proved,  let  us  hope,  by  thirty  years'  devotion  to 
his  profession,  as  he  certainly  did  in  leaving  it,  that 

By  medicine  life  may  be  prolonged,  yet  death  will  seize 
the  doctor  too. 

Following  him  came  Bancker,  Cleveland,  Hasbrouck, 
Forman,  and  others.  It  was  not,  however,  till  1807  that 
there  appeared  on  the  roll  of  Union's  graduates  the  name 


ADDRESS.  409 

of  one  who  so  deeply  impressed  liis  generation  as  to  force 
recognition  and  cause  his  memory  to  be  revered  for  half 
a  hundred  years. 

Theodric  Romeyn  Beck  was  born  in  this  city  [Sche- 
nectady] four  years  before  our  college — of  which  he  be- 
came one  of  the  most  distinguished  graduates  —  was 
founded.  Of  English  descent  on  his  father's  side,  his 
blood  was  well  tinctured  with  the  Dutch,  his  maternal 
grandfather  being  the  Rev.  Dirck  Romeyn,  D.  D,,  some- 
time pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Church  here,  and  one 
of  the  most  active  promoters  of  Union  College.  Gi'adu- 
ating  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  immediately  entered  upon 
the  study  of  medicine  in  Albany,  and  thereafter  in  New 
York,  under  the  distinguished  Dr.  David  Hosack.  Re- 
ceiving his  degree  in  1811  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  Dr.  Beck  at  once  commenced  to  practise 
his  profession  in  Albany,  which  city  thereafter  remained 
his  home.  In  1814  he  visited  Europe,  and  upon  his  return 
the  next  year  was  appointed  professor  of  the  institutes 
of  medicine  and  lecturer  on  medical  jurisprudence  in  the 
Fairfield  Medical  School.  Two  years  later,  having  been 
elected  principal  of  the  Albany  Academy,  he  relinquished 
the  active  practice  of  medicine  and  devoted  himself  to 
its  teaching.  It  must  not,  however,  be  understood  that 
he  had  lost  interest  in  the  profession  of  his  choice.  Far 
from  it,  he  gave  many  of  his  best  years  to  the  investiga- 
tion and  exposition  of  the  science  of  medicine  in  some  of 
its  most  important  departments.  In  1829,  Dr.  Beck  was 
elected  president  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of 
New  York  and  remained  its  presiding  officer  for  three 
years.  It  was  said  of  him  that  while  president  of  this 
association  "  his  suggestions  were  constantly  such  as 
might  become  a  physician,  a  philanthropist,  and  a  states- 
man ;  that  they  were  not  Utopian  is  proved  by  the  fact 
that  very  many  of  them  have  been  adopted  as  measures 
of  State  policy  and  general  hygiene." 


410  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Di*.  Beck  coiitiuued  his  professional  duties  at  the  Fair- 
field Medical  School  until  it  closed  in  1840,  when  he  was 
elected  a  professor  in  the  Albany  Medical  College  and  re- 
mained such  until,  in  1854,  his  declining  health,  and  the 
increasing  demands  upon  his  time,  forced  him  to  close 
his  active  career  of  nearly  forty  years  as  a  teacher  of 
medicine,  but  not  his  connection  with  the  profession,  for 
he  remained  professor  emeritus  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

The  crowning  labor  of  Dr.  Beck's  life,  and  that  which 
has  made  his  name  illustrious  in  the  world  of  letters,  is 
his  work  on  medical  jurisprudence.  Published  in  our 
country  in  1823,  it  at  once  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
world,  was  republished  in  London  two  years  later,  and 
shortly  thereafter  was  translated  and  published  in  Ger- 
many. This  remarkable  work  passed  through  ten  edi- 
tions in  the  English  language  during  its  author's  life,  and 
yet  others  since  his  death,  and  to-day — after  seventy 
years — it  still  remains  the  standard.  Truly  of  this  great 
teacher  and  honored  son  of  Union  it  may  be  said  that 
in  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1855,  the  world  lost  "  one 
of  the  most  devoted,  indefatigable,  and  earnest  promoters 
of  medical  science." 

During  the  first  generation  of  the  existence  of  the  college 
we  find  the  names  of  many  graduates  who  in  the  profes- 
sion of  their  choice  doubtless  made  a  deep  and  lasting 
impress.  They  were  the  silent  workers  content  to  minister 
to  the  sick,  to  alleviate  individual  suffering,  but  of  whose 
influence  in  the  communities  in  which  they  settled  we 
find  little  or  no  record,  and  of  whose  writings,  alas,  no- 
thing. They  were  men  of  deeds,  not  words.  Others  there 
were,  of  perhaps  no  larger  mould  or  greater  influence, 
who,  having  left  behind  them  written  evidence  of  their 
work,  appear  to  us  as  something  more  than  a  name. 

Two  other  Becks,  John  B.  and  Louis  C,  followed  their 
elder  and  greater  brother  in  later  classes,  and  his  ex- 
ample, in  becoming  distinguished  teachers  of  medicine, 


ADDEESS.  411 

tlie  t'oruiLT  holdiiio-  a  cliiiir  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  New  York,  and  the  latter  in  Rutgers. 
Then  followed  Lansing,  Benedict,  Hosier,  Bogert,  Mur- 
doch, Blatchford,  Gansevoort,  Yei'planck,  Willard,  Living- 
ston, Fitch,  and  a  host  of  others  who  are  but  names.  The 
tirst  graduate  recorded  as  having  entered  the  public  medi- 
cal service  was  Oodwise,  of  the  class  of  1822,  who  became 
a  Medical  Director  in  the  Navy.  Others,  however,  whose 
names  are  unknown  to  the  speaker,  probably  took  part 
in  the  War  of  1812. 

Drake,  of  1823,  followed  the  star  of  empire  and  became 
a  professor  in  Wesleyan  and  the  Ohio  universities.  Yoiu" 
own  Duane,  who  exerted  so  large  a  measure  of  in- 
fluence iu  this  community ;  Lauderdale,  Bayard,  and 
then  Thomas  Hun  of  1826,  that  Nestor  in  medicine,  who 
settled  in  his  native  city,  and  to-day,  nearly  seventy  years 
since  he  received  the  stamj)  of  approval  of  this  institu- 
tion, lives  honored  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
physicians  and  respected  citizens  of  Albany.  Following 
them  Thorne,  Horton,  Kissam,  Winne,  Bloodgood,  and 
finally,  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  generation,  the 
name  of  Hamilton  appears. 

Just  as  Dr.  Beck's  great  work  was  receiving  the  hom- 
age of  the  world,  a  youth  was  about  to  graduate  from 
Union  College  whose  influence  upon  the  profession  of 
medicine  was  to  be  almost  as  far-reaching  as  that  of  his 
distinguished  elder. 

Frank  Hastings  Hamilton  graduated  in  the  class  of 
'30,  and  received  his  degree  in  medicine  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania  in  1835.  He  added  to  an  in- 
tense love  of  his  profession  the  enthusiasm  of  a  teacher 
of  surgery,  and  hand  in  hand  throughout  his  eventful 
life  went  precept  and  practice.  Almost  immediately  after 
entering  the  profession  Dr.  Hamilton  settled  in  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  and  inangurated  a  course  of  lectures  in  anatomy 
and  surgery,  which  he  successfully  continued  for  three 


412  UNION    COLLEGE. 

years  until  (in  1839)  appointed  professor  of  surgery  in 
the  Fairfield  Medical  College. 

Upon  the  abandonment  of  this  school  Professor  Hamil- 
ton accepted  a  chair  in  the  medical  college  at  Geneva, 
N.  Y.,  and  in  1846  went  to  the  Buffalo  Medical  School, 
becoming  at  the  same  time  surgeon  to  the  Charity  Hos- 
pital. It  was  during  his  residence  in  Buffalo  that  he  had 
opportunity  to  gain  the  practical  experience  in  his  spe- 
ciality of  surgery,  which  he  afterward  added  to  so  abun- 
dantly that  its  record  is  stored  in  many  volumes,  and  it 
was  there  he  impressed  himself  so  deeply  upon  the  pro- 
fession, in  its  formative  period,  that  his  influence  as 
teacher  and  author  will  be  felt  so  long  as  his  name  (and 
that  of  his  great  colleague  Flint)  shall  remain  deep  graven 
in  the  walls  of  the  school  he  made  famous. 

In  1859  Professor  Hamilton  accepted  the  chair  of  prin- 
ciples and  practice  of  surgery  in  the  Long  Island  Medical 
College,  and  in  1861  was  appointed  professor  of  military 
surgery,  a  chair  which  at  that  time  existed  in  no  other 
medical  school  in  the  United  States,  and  which,  I  might 
add,  exists  in  no  medical  school  in  our  broad  land  to-day. 
Think  of  it,  ye  who  are  training  your  children  to  be  sol- 
diers against  the  evil  day  which  will  surely  come,  what 
training  are  your  physicians  receiving  to  enable  them  to 
meet  the  same  contingency  ?     None,  absolutely  none. 

At  the  call  to  arms  in  1861,  Frank  Hamilton  went  to 
the  front  to  learn,  by  actual  experience,  in  what  military 
surgery  differed  from  other  surger}'".  How  well  he  learned 
the  lesson  is  recorded  in  his  treatise  on  this  subject  which 
appeared  in  1865  —  a  work  that  all  members  of  the  pro- 
fession might  read  with  profit,  even  though  military 
sanitation,  keeping  step  with  other  specialties  in  our  pro- 
fession, has  advanced  far  beyond  the  point  where  our 
great  war  left  it. 

Colonel  Hamilton,  after  having  distinguished  himself 
in  all  the  positions  he  was  called  upon  to  fill,  resigned  as 


ADDRESS.  413 

Medieul  Inspo(^tor  in  1863,  to  aeoopt  tho  oliair  of  military 
surgery  in  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  su(di  pro- 
fessorships being  then  fashionable. 

When  war  is  rife,  and  danger  's  nigh, 

"  God  and  the  soldier !  "  is  the  people's  cry. 

In  1868,  Professor  Hamilton  took  the  chair  of  Principles 
and  Practice  of  Surgery,  for  — 

When  war  is  past,  and  all  things  righted, 
God  's  forgot,  and  the  soldier  slighted. 

and  so  is  military  sanitation  in  the  schools.  He  retained 
this  office  until  his  death.  Dr.  Hamilton  had  a  very  wide 
professional  connection ;  he  was  surgeon  and  consultant  to 
many  hospitals,  and  his  advice  and  assistance  were  sought 
by  sufferers  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  demands 
upon  his  time  were  unceasing,  and  yet  his  contributions 
to  the  literature  of  his  profession  were  many  and  valuable, 
and  received  merited  recognition  beyond  the  shores  of  our 
own  land.  August  11,  1886,  his  work  was  done,  and  he 
rested  from  his  labors  as  surgeon,  teacher,  author,  soldier. 

Who  can  measure  the  intiuence  of  our  alma  mater 
upon  the  medical  profession  exerted  through  fifty  years 
of  Frank  Hamilton's  example  and  teaching?  Truly  it 
may  be  said  of  him,  as  he  said  of  his  friend  and  elder, 
Beck,  "  One  asks  how  has  any  man  been  able  to  accom- 
plish so  much  f  By  system,  perseverance,  devotion  and 
honesty  of  purpose,  united  to  excellent  talents." 

Running  on  down  the  roster  we  see  the  name  of  Chal- 
mers, 1831,  a  physician  of  reputation  and  influence,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine ; 
of  John  McClelland,  1832,  whose  munificent  gift  of  $25,- 
000  to  his  alma  mater  is  an  example  not  too  often  fol- 
lowed by  her  children ;  of  his  classmate.  West,  who,  de- 
voting himself  to  the  gentler  sex,  became  the  father  of 


414  UNION    COLLEGE. 

its  higher  education  in  our  country  and,  indeed,  in  the 
world.  Then  Mitchell,  1833,  founder  of  the  Brooklyn 
Dispensary  and  Long  Island  Medical  College;  and  an- 
other of  that  class,  Vedder,  so  many  years  a  distinguished 
resident  of  this  city. 

Alexander  M.  Vedder  was  born  in  Schenectady,  and 
his  entire  life  was  spent  here,  except  while  in  attendance 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  received  his  degree  in  medicine  in  1839.  He  held 
the  chair  of  anatomy  and  physiology  in  Union  College 
for  seventeen  years,  until  ever  increasing  demands  upon 
his  time  compelled  his  resignation.  Dr.  Vedder  filled  a 
large  place  as  a  physician,  scientist,  and  man  of  affairs, 
and  his  influence  was  far-reaching. 

Boekee,  183(3,  long  in  the  public  service ;  Hyslop,  of 
the  same  date,  a  conspicuous  practitioner  in  New  York ; 
Cary,  1839,  of  Buffalo;  Martin,  1840,  a  surgeon  in  the 
Navy;  Thayer  of  the  Boston  University,  and  your  own 
Van  Ingen,  whose  discovery  that  by  simply  elevating 
the  foot  of  the  bed  sufficient  counter-extension  would  be 
afforded  to  a  fractured  thigh  has  brought  comfort  to  un- 
numbered thousands,  and  written  his  name  among  the 
immortals;  Franklin  B.  Hough,  1843,  who  devoted  him- 
self to  scientific  and  historical  studies,  and  was  a  volum- 
inous writer  upon  these  subjects. 

Howard  Town  send,  1844,  was  a  scion  of  a  family  dis- 
tinguished in  the  history  of  this  State  from  the  earliest 
times.  After  receiving  his  degree  in  medicine  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1847,  Dr.  Townsend  studied 
his  profession  in  the  schools  of  Europe,  and  on  his  return 
to  his  native  city,  Albany,  in  1852,  was  appointed  to  a 
chair  in  the  Medical  College  there.  In  this  school  he  re- 
mained an  honored  teacher  until  his  too  early  death.  Dr. 
Hun,  his  friend  and  preceptor,  said  of  him :  "  The  influ- 
ence which  Dr.  Townsend  exerted  over  his  pupils  ought 
not  to  pass  without  remark.     It  was  a  striking  charac- 


ADDRESS.  415 

tori.stic  of  his  teaching  to  impress  ujjou  the  students  the 
importance  of  just  and  generous  conduct  in  their  rela- 
tions to  each  other  and  to  their  patients,  and  to  give 
tliem  a  high  notion  of  the  dignity  of  their  profession." 
His  deep  sense  of  loyalty,  his  devotion  to  his  calling,  and 
his  appreciation  of  the  duties  and  obligations  of  a  phy- 
sician, made  his  example  one  that  all  well  might  strive 
to  emulate. 

Then  Campbell,  1845,  and  his  classmates,  John  A.Liddell 
—  who  distinguished  himself  as  a  medical  officer  duiing 
the  War  of  Secession,  and  whose  writings  are  prolific  and 
valuable — and  Mackie,  one  of  the  first  with  us  to  take  an 
active  part  in  advancing  State  medicine;  he  was  aj)- 
pointed  a  special  United  States  Commissioner,  Marine 
Hospital  Service  to  the  west  coast  of  South  iVmerica,  and 
filled  other  important  offices.  Field,  1846,  a  professor  in 
the  medical  school  at  Geneva;  J.  Foster  Jenkins,  gen- 
eral secretary  of  the  United  States  Sanitaiy  Commis- 
sion; James  D.  Jones  of  Schenectady;  Churchill,  1848,  a 
conspicuous  practitioner  in  Utica ;  Barent  A.  Mynderse, 
1849 ;  Van  Olinda  of  Albany,  devoted  to  the  suffering 
poor ;  Martindale,  1850,  a  medical  officer  during  the  war, 
and  subsequently  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health,  New 
York  city ;  and  then,  when  the  century  was  half-spent, 
Loomis. 

Let  us  stop  for  a  moment  about  this  semi-centennial 
period  of  the  college's  existence  and  glance  backward. 
The  population  of  our  country  had  then  grown  to  twenty 
millions,  and  her  extreme  western  frontier  was  marked 
by  the  line  of  the  Missouri  River;  as  a  people  we  had  made 
substantial  progress,  as  a  profession  we  were  advancing, 
pari  pass\i  with  the  other  sciences  and  arts,  toward  the 
light. 

The  history  of  any  profession  in  connection  with  the 
progress  and  gi'owth  of  a  new  country  is  of  the  utmost 
interest,  and  particularly  is  this  so  with  medicine.     In 


416  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  older  countries  certain  social  limitations  have  hereto- 
fore surrounded  this  profession,  but  "  in  new  lands  peo- 
pled by  the  self-selection  of  the  fittest,  by  those  who  have 
the  courage  of  enterprise  and  the  mental  and  moral  out- 
fit to  win  for  it  success,  the  physician  is  sure  to  take  and 
keep  the  highest  places."  ^  This  was  essentially  the  case 
with  the  three  hundred  graduates  of  old  Union  who  had 
then  become  followers  of  the  healing  art.  Scattered 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  through 
them  the  mental  discipline  of  our  alma  mater  was  being 
impressed  upon  every  important  community. 

But  her  training  and  influence  had  done  more  than 
merely  improve  the  personal  status  of  the  physician.  It 
had,  in  connection  with  other  like  institutions  of  learning, 
created  a  demand  for  a  higher  medical  education,  which 
was  even  then  beginning  to  be  met.  In  the  early  colonial 
days  there  were  no  medical  schools  or  libraries,  and  stu- 
dents received  their  professional  training  by  the  precept 
and  by  the  example  of  practitioners  to  whom  they  were  ap- 
prenticed. Then  medical  schools  were  founded  to  supple- 
ment this  teaching,  and,  as  the  demands  upon  them  grew, 
these  schools  were  multiplied,  their  facilities  increased, 
and  clinical  instruction  in  hospitals  was  introduced. 

It  was  at  this  propitious  period,  when  physicists,  weary 
of  the  discussion  of  mere  doctrines  and  dogmata,  were 
turning  to  a  study  of  facts,  that  there  graduated  from 
these  halls  a  youth  who  was  destined  to  become  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  physicians  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

Alfred  Lebbins  Loomis  received  his  bachelor's  degree 
from  Union  College  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years, 
and  his  doctorate  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York,  in  1853.  After  two  years  of  prac- 
tical work  as  house  physician  in  the  public  hospitals  of 
New  York,  he  began  practice  in  that  city,  devoting  him- 

1  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  "  Medical  News,"  Philadelphia,  January  8,  1887. 


ADDEESS.  417 

self  particularly  to  diseases  of  the  chest,  in  wliich  specialty 
he  soon  achieved  a  national  reputation. 

His  work  as  a  teacher  began  in  1862,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed lecturer  on  i)liysical  diagnosis  in  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York.  Continuing  in  this 
office  until  1865,  he  then  accepted  the  adjunct  professorship 
of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine,  in  the  University  of 
New  York.  Two  years  thereafter  he  became  professor  of 
pathology  and  practice  of  medicine  in  that  institution, 
and  continued  to  fill  this  chair  with  profit  to  his  pupils, 
distinction  to  his  school,  and  honor  to  his  profession  un- 
til his  death. 

Dr.  Loomis  was  essentially  a  practitioner  and  teacher 
of  medicine,  and  his  ambition  to  excel  in  the  profession 
of  his  choice  led  him  to  devote  to  it  every  energy  of  me)is 
saua  in  corpore  sano.  He  believed  the  field  of  medicine  all 
too  large  for  any  one  man  to  cultivate,  strive  he  ever  so 
diligently,  and  therefore  his  fame  was  gained  within  its 
limits.  Let  it  not  be  presumed  for  a  moment  that  Alfred 
Loomis  was  narrow-minded ;  far  from  it,  his  sagacity  as  a 
man  of  affairs  was  recognized  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
was  well  shown  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  new  Universit}^ 
Medical  School,  in  the  organization  of  the  Loomis  Lab- 
oratory, an  institution  for  the  practical  instruction  of 
medical  students  in  chemistry,  materia  medica,  pathol- 
ogy, bacteriology,  etc, —  a  worthy  monument  to  a  great 
physician, —  and  the  construction  of  the  new  building  of 
the  Academy  of  Medicine.  His  ability  as  a  writer  is 
proved  by  the  popularity  of  his  works,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned,  "Lessons  in  Physical  Diagnosis,"  "Diseases 
of  the  Respiratory  Organs,  Heart,  and  Kidneys,"  "  Text- 
book of  Practical  Medicine,"  etc.,  etc.,  several  of  which 
went  through  many  editions ;  and  his  talent  as  an  or- 
ganizer was  felt  in  the  numerous  medical  societies  of 
which  he  was  a  member. 

Professor  Loomis  died  on  the  morning  of  January  23, 
27 


418  UNION    COLLEGE. 

1895,  and  on  that  day  we  may  fitly  close  the  hundredth 
year  of  Union  College  in  the  medical  profession.  But 
his  influence  is  not  dead.  Following  the  advice  of  his 
great  teacher  Dr.  Nott,  whose  very  words  he  might  have 
heard  uttered  on  the  occasion  of  the  semi-centennial  of 
our  college,  "  he  endeavored  to  impart  to  other  minds 
high  purposes,  to  be  by  them  again  imparted,  that  thus 
this  institution,  in  which  he  was  educated,  might  become 
the  sour(?e  and  center  of  an  influence  which  shall  con- 
tinue to  extend  itself  until  it  reaches  the  extremities  of 
the  world." 

Levi  C.  Lane,  of  the  same  class,  went  to  the  Pacific 
Coast  in  the  early  days,  and  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
prominent  medical  practitioners  there.  He  has  devoted 
the  large  wealth  following  successful  practice  to  the 
upbuilding  of  a  great  medical  school  in  San  Francisco, 
and  his  wide-reaching  influence  will  long  be  felt  in  the 
profession  in  that  important  section  of  our  country.  Yet 
another  classmate  was  Fessenden  N.  Otis,  long  time  a 
professor  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
New  York  —  a  most  distinguished  trio. 

Still  further  down  the  roster  we  see  other  names, 
those  of  men  of  a  younger  generation,  even  now  rapidly 
passing,  who  are  carrying  forward  the  good  work,  and 
ever  more  widely  impressing  upon  our  people  the  in- 
fluences which  emanate  from  this  ancient  center  of  learn- 
ing —  Calkins,  1853,  a  professor  in  the  medical  school  at 
Burlington,  Vermont;  Eodman,  his  classmate,  professor 
of  anatomy  in  the  Wisconsin  College;  Valentine,  1854, 
of  St.  Louis;  Hadden,  1856,  of  New  York;  Rhodes,  of 
the  navy,  and  yet  another  of  the  navy,  whose  distin- 
guished services  and  commanding  position  make  him 
conspicuous  among  the  sons  of  Union. 

James  Rufus  Tryon  graduated  in  the  class  of  1858 ;  after 
receiving  his  degree  of  medicine  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  (1861)  he  went  to  Europe,  and  while  study- 


ADDRESS.  419 

iiig  there  heard  the  call  to  arms,  lieturiiiiig  home,  he 
entered  the  medical  department  of  the  navy,  in  which  he 
rendered  gallant  and  valuable  services  during  the  War  of 
Secession.  Continuing  in  the  service,  the  excellence  of 
his  work  under  all  conditions  of  duty,  afloat  and  ashore, 
for  thirty  years  was  so  marked  that  in  1893  he  was  se- 
lected from  among  a  number  of  distinguished  medical 
officers  of  the  navy  to  be  the  chief  of  his  department. 
General  Tryon,  through  his  enviable  record  as  a  med- 
ical officer  and  the  good  professional  work  done  by  him 
in  all  parts  of  the  world,  has  made  the  influence  of  his 
college  very  widely  felt. 

Wilkerson,  of  the  same  class,  devoted  himself  to  the  care 
and  instruction  of  the  deaf  and  dumb,  and  is  now  conspicu- 
ous as  principal  of  the  institution  at  Berkeley,  California. 
Andrew  H.  Smith,  another  classmate,  has  acquired  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  teacher  and  practitioner  of  medicine. 
Gillett,  1861 ;  Wilcox,  of  the  army,  sometime  instructor 
in  chemistry  and  physiology  here ;  Baker,  Styer,  Young, 
1862 ;  Frothingham,  1863 ;  Crarj^,  1864 ;  Clyde,  and  many 
others  who  fought  to  maintain  the  Union ;  Stimson,  1864, 
distinguished  as  a  physician  and  teacher,  and  conspicuous 
as  a  military  sanitarian,  devoted  to  his  patients  and  pro- 
fession, truly  it  may  be  said  that  he  doeth  honor  to  the 
alma  mater  that  nurtured  him.  The  Featherstonhaughs, 
1867-71 ;  Pearson,  1868 ;  Leonard,  1872,  a  professor  in 
the  Detroit  Medical  CoUege;  the  Whitehorns,  1873-75; 
Quimby,  1876 ;  Culver,  1878 ;  Craig,  1880,  and  a  host  of 
others,  young  and  old,  are  all  carrying  forward  the  noble 
work,  and  spreading  al)road  among  the  people  the  name 
and  fame  of  these  classic  halls. 

Again  glancing  backward,  this  time  upon  the  com- 
pleted hundred  years  of  Union  College,  we  find  that  the 
population  of  our  country  has  grown  to  number  nearly 
seventy  millions,  and  that  the  whole  breadth  of  the  con- 
tinent is  occupied  by  teeming  cities,  fruitful  farms,  and 


420  UNION    COLLEGE. 

thriving  manufactories,  and  we  also  find  that  in  every 
department  of  human  knowledge  there  has  been  an  ad- 
vance greater,  more  momentous,  and  more  permanent 
than  in   any  century  the   history  of  which  is  written. 

In  this  advance  medicine  has  bountifully  shared;  in- 
deed, it  may  be  truly  said  that  a  new  science  has  arisen, 
and  more  progress  has  been  made  in  this  art,  during  the 
nineteenth  century  than  in  all  time  before.  In  this  mar- 
velous progress  Union  has  taken  no  unimportant  part, 
not  alone  through  her  illustrious  sons,  but  even  more,  if 
possible,  through  the  hundreds  of  silent  ones  who  have 
done  their  duty  simply  and  in  private,  "  and  in  their  pa- 
tient, charitable  lives "  have  exerted  an  irresistible  influ- 
ence in  advancing  their  chosen  profession. 

Of  thy  sons,  0  Alma  Mater,  like  the  Roman  matron 
you  may  proudly  say,  "  These  are  my  jewels." 


^cmt:;€cntcimial  of  ttjc  Cnginfcring  ^^tIjooI. 

President  Cady   Staley,  of  the  Case  School  of 
Applied  Science,  Presiding. 


* 


OPENING  ADDRESS 

BY   PRESIDENT   STALEY, 

Of  the  Class  of  1866. 

IT  is  eminently  fitting  at  this  Centennial  Celebration  of 
Union  College,  that  some  special  note  shonld  be  made 
of  scientific  education.  Union  College  was  one  of  the 
very  first  of  the  classical  colleges  to  introduce  scientific 
education  in  its  curriculum.  The  introduction  of  science 
into  the  higher  educational  institutions  was  a  very  slow 
process.  For  centuries  all  the  schools  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  churchmen,  and  they  were  very  loath  to  have 
science  introduced  as  a  regular  study  in  the  schools. 
When  Roger  Bacon  began  his  experiments  in  physics 
and  chemistry,  many  of  his  colleagues  suggested  that  he 
was  tampering  with  evil  spirits;  and  when  he  showed 
them  the  properties  of  a  combination  of  sulphur,  charcoal, 
and  saltpeter,  which  we  call  gunpowder,  they  were  sure 
he  was  in  league  with  the  devil.  They  invoked  the  power 
of  the  church ;  and  Roger  Bacon  was  imprisoned  for  dar- 

27*  421 


422  UNION    COLLEGE. 

ing,  as  they  said,  to  attempt  to  find  out  what  God  had 
meant  to  keep  secret.  The  church  was  opposed  to  science, 
and  until  the  present  century  very  little  was  done  in  the 
line  of  science  in  institutions  of  higher  education.  One 
of  the  very  first  of  these  institutions  to  introduce  science 
into  their  curricula  was  Union  College.  More  and  more 
attention  was  given  to  different  branches  of  science,  but 
the  first  complete  department  to  be  organized  was  that 
of  civil  engineering.  In  1845,  William  Mitchell  Gillespie 
was  called  to  the  professorship  of  civil  engineering  in 
this  college,  and  the  department  was  fully  equipped  and 
started.  Professor  Gillespie  was  particularly  well  trained 
for  this  work.  First,  he  was  a  college  graduate;  then 
he  went  to  Paris  and  studied  in  L'Ecole  des  Ponts  et 
Chaussees,  one  of  the  best  scientific  schools  in  the  world. 
He  returned  to  this  country  and  had  considerable  prac- 
tice in  railroad  engineering  and  other  branches  of  engin- 
eering before  he  came  here  to  teach.  He  was,  perhaps, 
one  of  the  best-equipped  men  in  that  line  in  the  United 
States.  In  his  teaching  he  gave  equal  emphasis  to  the 
theoretical  and  the  practical  sides  of  his  subject.  He 
was  not  content,  as  many  are,  to  teach  only  the  practical. 
He  was  not  satisfied  with  what  is  sometimes  called  the 
"  near-enough-for-practical-use  "  methods.  His  students 
soon  learned  that  precision  and  accuracy  alone  would  be 
approved.  And  yet  there  was  one  student  who  once 
ventured  to  try  the  other  method  with  the  professor. 
This  student,  whom  we  will  call  Mr.  M.,  was  given  to 
vigils  not  altogether  of  a  studious  sort.  The  class  met 
the  first  hour  in  the  morning,  and  this  morning  M.  was 
there,  not  because  he  had  risen  with  the  lark,  but  be- 
cause he  had  been  out  on  a  "  lark "  all  night.  He  went 
in  with  the  class  and  seated  himself  in  the  front  row. 

The  subject  under  discussion  at  that  time  was  the 
application  of  geometry  to  the  division  of  lands,  and 
the  professor  was  showing  the  practical  applications  of 


ADDRESS.  423 

geometrical  problems.  Drawing  a  circle  on  the  Ijoard, 
lie  said:  "Now  we  will  conceive  this  to  be  a  circular 
piece  of  ground,  and  I  will  ask  one  of  you  to  find  the 
center."  Then  he  called  upon  Mr.  M.,  of  whom  I  have 
spoken.  M.  rose  with  great  dignity,  hesitated  a  moment, 
theu  walked  cai-efully  to  the  board,  and  witli  an  air  of 
confident  conviction  put  his  finger  as  near  as  he  could 
guess  upon  the  center  of  the  circle  and  said,  "  Professor, 
I  don't  want  to  be  rash  about  it,  but  I  think  the  center 
is  right  about  there."  Those  who  knew  Professor  Gilles- 
pie (and  several  of  you  did  know  him)  remember  that  he 
was  not  much  given  to  joking  in  the  class-room,  but  the 
joke  on  this  occasion  was  too  good  to  be  resisted.  By 
the  way,  those  who  think  the  professor  did  not  enjoy  a 
good  joke  are  greatly  mistaken.  I  remember  very  well 
of  his  telling  me  with  great  glee  of  a  little  incident  that 
happened  shortly  after  he  began  housekeeping  in  the 
block  on  the  corner  of  Quackenbush  and  Union  streets. 
During  the  first  years  of  his  professorship  he  was  a 
bachelor  and  had  bachelor's  quarters  in  that  block,  hav- 
ing his  own  front  door  on  the  street.  When  he  married 
he  took  the  rest  of  the  house,  and  still  kept  his  separate 
door.  The  kitchen  was  a  small  wooden  building  on  the 
lower  end  of  the  block,  which  also  had  a  door  on  the 
street.  One  day,  when  he  had  gone  into  the  kitchen  to 
give  some  directions  to  his  servants,  the  kitchen  door- 
bell rang.  A  servant  went  to  the  door  and  found  a  man 
there  with  something  to  sell,  who  began  to  talk  about  his 
wares.  Gillespie  stepped  to  the  door,  sent  the  peddler 
about  his  business,  and  then  started  towards  his  study. 
When  he  got  to  the  foot  of  his  jjrivate  staircase,  hearing 
a  knock  he  opened  the  door,  and  there  stood  the  same 
man.  Gillespie  told  him  again  to  go  about  his  business, 
and  the  man  backed  out  and  started  up  the  street. 
Gillespie,  thinking  the  man  might  go  to  the  next  door,  also 
his  own,  walked  around  and  reached  there,  just  as  the 


424  UNION    COLLEGE. 

door-bell  rang.  Gillespie  opened  this  third  door,  and  be- 
fore him  stood  the  same  peddler  he  had  already  twice 
dismissed.  The  man  started  back  aghast,  but  found 
courage  in  a  moment  to  say  timidly :  "  Will  you  kindly 
tell  me  how  far  up  this  street  you  live!"  (Laughter.) 
I  admit  that  Professor  Gillespie  was  not  much  given  to 
joking  in  his  class-room,  but  he  could  enjoy  a  good  joke 
when  it  came  his  way  as  heartily  as  most  men. 

Professor  Gillespie  managed  the  department  for  twen- 
ty-two years,  until  1867,  when  I  succeeded  him.  When 
I  speak  of  succeeding  Gillespie,  I  am  reminded  of  a  little 
anecdote  that  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  used  to  tell.  One 
time  Rufus  Choate  had  an  engagement  to  deliver  a  lec- 
ture, and  being  unable  to  keep  the  engagement,  he  ar- 
ranged that  Holmes  should  go  in  his  place.  Holmes  met 
some  friends  on  the  street,  who  said  to  him,  "  Ah,  Holmes, 
you  are  going  to  fill  Choate's  place,  are  you?"  "Fill 
Choate's  place  ! "  said  Holmes.  "  No,  sir ;  I  am  going  to 
rattle  around  in  it."  Now,  I  rattled  around  in  Professor 
Gillespie's  place  for  nineteen  years.  After  I  left.  Professor 
Brown  succeeded  me,  and  was  here  eight  years.  For  the 
last  year,  one  of  my  old  students.  Professor  Landreth, 
has  been  in  charge  of  the  department,  and  Professor 
Landreth's  reputation  while  at  Vanderbilt  University  is 
a  guarantee  of  his  success  here  at  Union. 

But  I  am  not  here  to  make  a  speech.  I  did  not  know 
that  I  was  to  look  into  your  faces  until  I  came  here  and 
saw  my  name  on  the  programme ;  but  I  lived  so  long  at 
Union  College  and  got  so  used  to  obeying  orders,  that 
when  the  orders  came  to  appear  here  I  obeyed  them. 

You  expected  to  listen  to  General  Stone  at  this  time 
and  place,  but  I  have  been  handed  a  letter  from  General 
Stone  saying  that  he  cannot  be  present.  I  will  read  the 
letter : 

The  pressure  of  public  duties  deprives  me  of  the  pleasure  of 
being  with  you  at  the  Centennial  gathering  of  the  Sons  of  Union ; 


ADDRESS.  425 

but  I  cannot  forego  the  opportunity  of  sending  a  word  of 
friendly  greeting,  if  you  will  kindly  convey  it  to  the  men  of  my 
day  who  may  be  present,  aiul  a  word  of  encouragement  to  the 
younger  men  who  in  the  closing  days  of  the  century  follow  your 
footsteps  in  the  great  science  of  construction,  as  we  followed 
those  of  our  master,  Gillespie,  in  its  middle  years.  It  was  to  us 
a  matter  of  pride  that  Union  College  was  the  first  of  the  great 
educational  institutions  to  inaugurate  thorough  scientific  educa- 
tion in  engineering,  and  that  our  great  preceptor  is  still  regarded 
as  high  authority,  both  as  to  precept  and  practice,  in  the  science 
to  which  so  nuxn}'  great  technical  institutions  are  now  devoted. 
The  men  who  have  seen  engineering  grow  to  what  it  is  have  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  greatness  of  its  f utiire ;  and  the  young  men 
who  are  now  entering  the  profession  need  have  no  fear  of  being 
too  late.  The  engineer  is  the  knight  errant  of  modern  adven- 
ture; armed  with  all  the  forces  of  nature  and  panoplied  with 
all  the  arts,  he  boldly  challenges  every  physical  barrier  to  human 
progress ;  and  the  greater  success  he  achieves,  the  wider  are  the 
opportunities  offered  to  his  skill  and  courage.  The  heights  we 
reach  to-day  are  the  vantage-ground  for  a  new  advance  to- 
morrow. Just  as  the  country  is  filled  with  railroads,  and  that 
field  for  engineering  disappears,  science  comes  in  with  new 
means  for  their  operation  and  all  their  methods  and  appliances 
are  to  be  revolutionized.  And  just  as  we  have  determined  how 
to  build  highways  in  this  country  for  the  travel  we  are  accus- 
tomed to,  horseless  carriages  appear,  in  astonishing  number  and 
variety,  and  the  science  of  road-building  must  be  adapted  to  new 
conditions.  Meanwhile,  we  have  already  an  era  of  ship-canals 
and  great  harbor-works,  of  enormous  water-powers  and  grand 
irrigation  projects,  of  elevated  railroads  and  magnificent  bridges, 
of  tunnels  and  underground  rapid  transit  lines;  and  in  addition 
to  all  this  the  prospect  of  an  extensive  re-location  of  manufac- 
turing establishments  to  meet  new  conditions  in  trade  and  trans- 
portation, and  in  the  generation  and  transmission  of  power. 
With  these  and  all  the  minor  constructive  works  that  will  follow 
the  restoration  of  prosperity,  and  especially  with  the  field  opened 
up  by  the  agitation  for  good  roads  throughout  the  country, 
there  ought  to  be  abundant  work  for  the  young  engineer. 

With   heartfelt  good   wishes,  and   with  a  God-speed  to   old 
Union,  I  am  Faithfully  yours, 

Roy  Stone,  of  the  Class  of  1856. 


426  UNION    COLLEGE. 

As  you  have  heard  so  often  siuce  you  have  been  at- 
tending this  celebration,  Union  College  is  famous  for  the 
men  of  affairs  among  its  alumni  —  men  of  affairs  in  very 
many  directions.  It  is  now  my  privilege  to  introduce  to 
you,  as  one  of  the  speakers  of  the  afternoon,  one  of  these 
men  of  affairs,  as  well  as  a  statesman,  the  Honorable 
Warner  Miller,  who  will  address  us. 


ADDRESS 

BY   WARNER  MILLER,   LL.  D. 

Cldds  of  1860. 
THE   COLLEGE   IN    COMMERCIAL   AND    INDUSTRIAL   LIFE. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  Ladies  and  Grentlemen :  The  sub- 
ject assigned  me  by  President  Raymond  is,  "  The 
College  in  Commercial  and  Industrial  Life."  Why  this 
selection  was  made  and  why  I  was  assigned  to  it,  I  know 
not,  save,  it  may  be,  that  the  President,  in  going  over  the 
college  records  of  some  of  the  old  men,  found  that  my 
record  as  a  classical  scholar  was  the  poorest  in  the  class 
of  1860,  and  therefore,  being  a  poor  classical  scholar  (al- 
though I  was  considered  good  enough  then  to  be  elected 
professor  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  a  collegiate  institute  as 
soon  as  I  had  graduated),  undoubtedly  President  Ray- 
mond thought  I  must  of  necessity  be  a  good  business 
man,  and  therefore  assigned  me  to  the  treatment  of  this 
subject.  The  fact  is,  I  am  as  poor  a  business  man  as  I 
was  a  classical  scholar.  I  am  only  a  plain  farmer,  who 
in  these  hard  times  is  unable  to  make  both  ends  meet, 
no  matter  how  much  economy  he  may  exercise.  This 
afternoon,  however,  I  shall  practise  an  economy  which 
you  will  all  approve,  for  it  will  be  all  for  your  benefit.  I 
shall  economize  your  time  by  making  a  speech  only  a 
few  moments  in  length.  Some  of  my  good  friends  of  the 
class  of  1860  (my  own  class)  and  of  1861  have  suggested 


428  UNION    COLLEGE. 

frequently  during  the  day  that  they  should  move,  here 
in  the  audience,  that  I  have  leave  to  print,  as  they  do  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  and,  not  waiting  for  them 
to  make  this  proposition  (for  I  know  who  it  is  coming 
from),  I  have  decided  to  ask  leave  to  print;  and  when 
the  Centennial  book  comes  out,  you  will  find  that  my 
speech  of  fifteen  minutes  in  length  will  have  swollen  to 
at  least  fifty  or  one  hundred  pages  such  as  the  "  Con- 
gressional Record." 

I  never  before  had  the  privilege  of  speaking  to  a  clas- 
sical college  audience  like  this  in  the  open  air.  We  were 
always  surrounded  by  sacred  walls  and  their  associations. 
But  as  I  stand  here  to-day  it  seems  to  me  that  our  col- 
lege is  making  very  great  progress.  As  I  look  out  upon 
this  audience  it  has  every  appearance  of  being  a  Repub- 
lican audience,  and  I  might,  if  my  speech  was  not  pre- 
pared,— as  President  Brownell  has  suggested, — wander 
away  from  my  subject  and  talk  about  the  tariff,  or  the 
present  administration,  and  the  foreign  policy  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States.  My  friend  here  in 
front  suggests  that  I  might  speak  upon  the  Nicaragua 
Canal.  That  is  a  familiar  subject  to  myself,  but  might 
not  interest  you  all.  I  am  determined  not  to  wander 
from  the  subject  assigned  to  me.  I  have  committed  to 
paper  substantially  what  I  want  to  say. 

The  subject  allotted  to  me,  "The  College  in  Com- 
mercial and  Industrial  Life,"  is  one  seldom  discussed 
when  the  college  or  university  celebrates. 

In  the  olden  times,  when  education  was  confined  to 
the  few,  the  college  was  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
ducing doctors  of  law,  doctors  of  medicine,  and  doctors 
of  divinity.  The  business  man  was  produced  by  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  counting-house. 

Then  the  few  lived  in  palaces;  the  many  in  hovels. 
The  few  were  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  lived 
sumptuously ;  the  many  were  clothed  in  coarse  clothes  or 


ADDEESS.  429 

skius  of  auimuls,  and  fed  on  black  bread.  The  few  were 
masters;  the  many  slaves.  Education  was  confined  to 
the  cloister  and  the  court. 

To-day  all  this  is  changed ;  the  palaces  still  exist ;  the 
hovels  have  disappeared,  and  in  their  places  are  the  com- 
fortable homes  of  the  masses. 

In  free  America  on  gala  days  the  capitalist  and  the 
laborer  cannot  be  distinguished  by  the  difference  in  their 
dress.  The  food  of  all  classes  is  gathered  from  the  tem- 
perate, the  tropical,  and  the  polar  regions ;  the  depths  of 
the  sea  even  are  called  upon  to  contribute  to  the  comfort 
and  adornment  of  man. 

Education  is  no  longer  held  to  be  so  sacred  that  it 
would  be  sacrilegious  to  communicate  it  to  the  masses, 
and  we  have  the  masses  educated  now  by  force  of  law. 
Finally,  government,  which  was  once  monopolized  by  the 
few  without  regard  to  their  worth,  has  lost  its  exclusive- 
ness  and  become  the  divine  right  of  the  many. 

The  college  and  the  university  no  longer  confine  them- 
selves to  the  production  of  doctors  of  law,  medicine,  and 
divinity,  but  cover  every  department  of  human  know- 
ledge ;  all  sciences,  art,  and  literature  must  find  a  place  in 
their  curriculum. 

The  young  man  who  can  talk  Latin  and  write  Greek 
verse  has  only  begun  his  education,  and  must  add  thereto 
an  amount  of  information  uj)on  a  multitude  of  subjects 
which  would  have  astonished  and  dismayed  the  ancients. 

The  number  and  variety  of  the  subjects  of  study  and 
research  to-day  are  so  numerous  that  no  one  can  hope  to 
acquire  in  a  thorough  manner  more  than  one  or  two  of 
them. 

The  departments  of  law  and  medicine,  engineering  and 
science,  are  divided  into  numerous  subdivisions,  any  one 
of  which  requires  for  its  complete  mastery  the  best  efforts 
of  the  highest  order  of  intellect. 

The  college  to-day  gives  the  preliminary  training  for 


430  UNION    COLLEGE. 

every  calling  or  profession  ;  the  university  with  its  tech- 
uical  schools  completes  the  education  and  sends  the  stu- 
dent forth  ready  to  undertake  the  active  work  of  life. 

Not  long  ago  a  most  distinguished  and  successful  man 
stated  that  a  college  education  was  not  necessary,  but  in- 
jurious to  the  young  man  who  w^as  to  follow  a  business 
career ;  that  it  was  better  he  should  commence  by  sweep- 
ing out  the  office  and  polishing  the  door-knob,  than  waste 
his  time  in  learning  Grreek  verbs  and  moral  philosophy. 
The  statement  was  at  once  controverted,  and  an  inquiry 
set  on  foot  to  determine  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  prop- 
osition. It  was  shown  that  a  large  part  of  the  men. 
controlling  the  commerce,  manufacturing,  and  trans- 
portation of  the  country  were  either  educated  in  our 
colleges  or  in  the  scientific  or  technical  schools  connected 
with  our  universities. 

Why  should  it  not  be  so?  Is  there  anything  in  the 
nature  of  sweeping  office  floors  and  polishing  door-knobs 
which  would  give  one  an  insight  into  the  laws  that  gov- 
ern trade  and  finance  1  True,  one  should  commence  at 
the  bottom  of  his  j^rofession  or  business  and  learn  it  in 
detail,  but  he  should  bring  to  his  work  a  well-trained 
mind  stored  with  all  information  possible. 

If  a  thoroughly  educated  youth  will  not  make  a  more 
successful  business  man  than  the  uneducated,  then  educa- 
tion is  not  the  important  institution  that  it  has  been  held 
to  be,  and  government  can  relax  its  efforts  to  make  it 
universal. 

The  truth  is  that  no  man  succeeds  in  any  important 
work  who  is  uneducated ;  he  may  not  have  studied  in  our 
schools  and  colleges,  but  he  has  obtained  his  education 
in  a  much  more  laborious  and  unsatisfactory  way.  He 
has  labored  at  night  without  the  aid  of  teachers,  and  re- 
gretting that  he  had  been  deprived  of  the  advantages  to 
be  derived  from  our  schools. 

If  education  is  power,  if  it  is  such  a  training  of  the 
intellect  as  to  enable  it  to  work  like  a  perfect  piece  of 


ADDRESS.  4:U 

iiiac'liinery  when  power  is  tippliccl  to  it;  if  educiitiou  so 
trains  the  liuman  mind  that  it  will  reason  correctly  from 
any  })remises  or  facts  presented  to  it ;  theu  the  educated 
man  has  the  advantage  over  his  unoducated  brother  that 
the  complete  and  perfected  C()m[)onn(l  steam-engine  of 
to-day  has  over  the  crude  and  incomplete  first  engine 
made  by  Watts. 

If  the  animal  we  call  man  is  wanted  only  as  a  hewer  of 
wood  and  drawer  of  water,  if  he  is  to  swing  the  pick  and 
handle  the  shovel  only,  if  the  office  boy  is  never  to  do 
more  than  to  sweep  the  floor,  weigh  the  sugar,  and  mea- 
sure the  calico,  he  need  not  be  college  educated. 

It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  the  labor  of  the  best 
educated  nations  is  the  most  effective.  The  labor  in  our 
manufacturing  industries  is  from  twenty-fiv^e  to  fifty  pei' 
cent,  more  productive  than  the  same  class  of  labor  in 
Europe,  and  one  hundred  per  cent,  more  productive  than 
among  the  Orientals. 

Mulhall,  the  acknowledged  authority  in  statistics,  in 
an  article  in  the  last  number  of  the  "North  American 
Review,"  speaking  of  the  great  growth  of  our  country, 
says :  "  The  United  States  in  1895  possesses  by  far  the 
greatest  productive  power  in  the  world ;  that  this  power 
has  more  than  trebled  since  1860,  rising  from  twenty- 
nine  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  milliards  of  foot-tons 
daily."  The  result  he  attributed  largely  to  the  general 
diffusion  of  education  among  the  masses.  He  further 
says:  "The  census  of  1890  showed  that  eighty-seven  per 
cent,  of  the  total  population  over  ten  years  of  age  could 
read  and  write.  It  may  be  fearlessly  asserted  that  in  the 
history  of  the  human  race  no  nation  ever  before  possessed 
forty-one  millions  of  instructed  citizens.  European  states 
have  certainly  made  efforts  to  ditt'use  popular  instruction, 
and  with  considerable  success,  but  Americans  have  left 
them  far  behind  in  generous  and  wise-minded  expendi- 
ture on  education." 

Education  is  power  which  increases   in   geometrical 


432  UNION    COLLEGE. 

ratio  as  it  ascends  from  the  kindergarten  to  the  univer- 
sity. The  college  produces  not  only  the  profound  scholar 
and  philosopher,  not  only  the  successful  lawyer,  doctor, 
and  preacher,  but  the  broad-minded  merchant,  the  suc- 
cessful and  hiventive  manufacturer,  and  the  far-seeing 
projector,  builder,  and  manager  of  our  great  systems  of 
railroads,  steamship  lines,  and  the  controllers  of  our  for- 
eign and  internal  commerce. 

The  successful  merchant  of  to-day  must  know  the 
markets  of  the  world  for  the  products  in  which  he  deals 
or  he  will  be  distanced  in  the  race.  If  he  would  handle 
wheat  with  assurance  of  profit  he  must  know  not  only 
the  crop  prospect  here,  but  its  condition  in  the  Argen- 
tine, in  India,  and  Russia,  as  well  as  in  England,  France, 
and  Grermany;  he  must  determine  whether  there  is  to 
be  a  surplus  beyond  the  demands  of  the  world,  or  a 
shortage. 

The  cotton  and  woolen  manufacturer  must  be  equally 
informed  as  to  the  supply  of  his  raw  material,  and  he 
must  keep  abreast  of  the  inventions  and  improvements 
in  the  process  and  machinery  which  he  uses,  or  he  will 
find  himself  unable  to  compete  with  the  better  informed 
manufacturer. 

The  railroad,  the  steamship,  and  the  telegraph  have 
entirely  changed  the  methods  of  doing  business.  The 
successful  operator  of  to-day  has  upon  his  desk  every 
morning  the  latest  quotations  from  every  market  in  the 
commercial  world.  Profits  are  thereby  reduced  to  the 
minimum,  and  the  chances  of  great  gains  and  great  losses 
are  equally  reduced. 

The  manufacturer  studies  the  wants  of  the  human  race 
and  undertakes  to  supply  them,  knowing  that  if  he  suc- 
ceeds in  meeting  or  anticipating  their  wants  success  is 
assured. 

The  man  engaged  in  transportation  is  continuously 
seeking  for  every  possible  improvement  in  the  means  of 


ADDEESS.  433 

transportation,  and  his  oflt'orts  liave  given  us  Bessemer 
steel,  which  has  revolutionized  railroads,  and  reduced  its 
cost  to  a  point  never  dreamed  possible ;  it  has  also  given 
us  the  ocean  greyhound,  which  has  reduced  the  distance 
between  the  continents  so  greatly  that  the  voyage  is  no 
longer  looked  upon  as  an  undertaking  of  importance,  but 
merely  as  an  excm'sion  for  pleasure  or  profit,  as  the  case 
may  be. 

If  the  merchants  of  Venice,  who  sent  their  richly-laden 
argosies  the  world  over,  were  princes,  the  merchants, 
manufacturers,  and  transporters  of  to-day  are  producers, 
controllers,  and  distributors  of  the  wealth  of  the  world. 

These  classes  have  to  do  with  material  things;  they 
supply  the  physical  wants  of  man :  but  take  away  com- 
merce, manufacturing,  and  transportation,  and  you  de- 
stroy civilization  and  man  returns  to  his  original  and 
barbarous  state,  where  trade  is  measured  by  a  few  shells 
on  a  string,  where  manufacturing  goes  no  further  than 
the  production  of  bows  and  arrows  and  stone  hatchets, 
and  transportation  is  carried  on  in  bii'ch-bark  canoes  or 
dug-outs. 

Education  is  the  force  which  has  changed  the  face  of 
nature  from  a  wilderness  to  a  productive  garden,  and 
man  himself  from  the  savage,  self-destroying,  and  brutal 
being  to  the  man  we  now  know,  who  so  closely  ap- 
proaches his  Creator  in  the  achievements  of  his  intellect 
as  portrayed  by  Shakspere  and  Milton  in  literature,  by 
Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael  in  art,  by  Alexander  and 
Napoleon  and  Grant  in  war,  by  Bismarck,  Gladstone,  and 
Lincoln  in  government,  by  Galileo  and  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton in  science,  and  by  a  host  of  others  in  every  depart- 
ment of  research  and  learning. 

Education  has  freed  and  ennobled  the   race;   but  it 
could  not  accomplish  this  until  it  had  broken  the  bonds 
which  for  centuries  had  held  it,  the  property  of  the  few, 
and  away  from  the  masses. 
28 


434  UNION    COLLEGE. 

When  the  spread  of  education  shall  be  as  wide  as  the 
world  itself,  man  will  be  fit  for  self-government  every- 
where; kings,  emperors,  and  the  privileged  classes  will 
disappear,  and  universal  peace  will  prevail. 

The  college  and  the  university  have  been  free  from  the 
bigotry  and  exclusivism  of  the  past.  It  no  longer  con- 
fines its  teachings  to  the  dead  languages  and  the  humani- 
ties, but  undertakes  to  fit  our  youth  for  every  vocation. 

In  this  breaking  away  from  the  ancient  system,  Union 
led  the  van.  It  was  the  pioneer  in  establishing  courses 
of  study  other  than  the  j)urely  classical. 

In  1829  Union  established  a  scientific  course  as  dis- 
tinct from  the  classical,  being  the  first  college  in  America 
to  depart  from  the  old  system.  The  beneficial  result 
following  this  action  can  be  found  in  every  part  of  our 
land.  Nearly  every  college  has  established  a  scientific 
department,  rendering  it  no  longer  necessary  to  seek 
abroad  the  highest  scientific  learning. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  authorities  of  Union  College,  real- 
izing what  a  great  work  was  to  be  done  in  America  in 
subduing  the  country  and  in  developing  it  by  rail- 
roads and  improving  our  waterways,  set  up  a  school  of 
engineering  under  Professor  Gillespie,  making  it  the 
first  college  in  America  to  establish  an  engineering  de- 
partment. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  Union  has  done  much  to  broaden 
the  lines  of  college  training,  and  to  produce,  not  alone 
the  recluse  scholar  who  found  his  greatest  good  in  add- 
ing to  his  sum  of  knowledge  for  his  own  delectation,  but 
to  produce  the  all-round  man  who  could  take  his  place 
with  the  best  in  any  career  he  might  choose,  whether 
law,  medicine,  theology,  or  commerce  and  trade. 

I  cannot  take  your  time  to  enumerate  the  sons  of  Old 
Union  who  have  made  its  name  famous  by  the  success 
they  have  won  for  themselves.  Without  boasting,  we 
may  say  that  during  the  century  that  is  drawing  to  a 


ADDRESS.  435 

close  it  has  had  a  orreater  iufluonco  on  tho  wolfari^  and 
position  of  onr  State  and  the  nation,  through  the  men  it 
has  sent  out  into  active  life,  than  any  other  college  in  the 
country.  May  we  not  confidently  hope  that  its  record 
for  the  second  century,  when  made  up,  will  be  equally 
satisfactory  and  brilliant  ?     [Apijlause.] 


EVENING  SESSION. 
€i)c  €(3\kQC  in  ^tntcaman^ljip  anti  politic^, 

Hon.  John  G-aey  Evans,  Goveknok  of  South  Cakolina, 

pkesiding. 

MR.  SILAS  B.  BROWNELL,  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  arose  and  was  greeted  with  applause. 
He  said :  I  am  glad,  friends  of  Union  College,  that  this 
reception  should  be  accorded  to  me  before  the  address 
which  I  am  about  to  make  is  finished.  This  closing  ex- 
ercise of  the  Centennial  of  Union  College  brings  to  mind 
the  action  of  the  committee  under  which  these  exercises 
have  been  arranged  and  carried  out  —  arranged  and  car- 
ried out  with  a  delight  and  enjoyment  which  I  hope  will 
only  be  equaled  by  the  profit  and  joy  to  the  college  which 
will  arise  from  the  renewed  interest  and  attention  which 
this  centennial  celebration  will  awaken  in  her  alumni  and 
friends,  and  by  the  added  facilities  which  will  be  afforded 
her  for  the  work  ahead. 

Eminently  proper  is  it  that  after  running  the  whole 
gamut  of  the  professions  and  vocations,  this  occasion 
should  culminate  in  an  evening  devoted  to  that  highest 
of  all  vocations,  statesmanship,  and  that  we  should  be 
able  to  listen  to  a  recital  of  what  Union  College  has  done 
in  statesmanship  and  politics.  There  certainly  is  no 
sphere  in  which  greater  heights  may  be  scaled  and  nobler 
laurels  won  than  in  the  sphere  of  statesmanship  and 
28*  '^' 


438  UNION    COLLEGE. 

politics.     The  true  statesman  is  the  true  benefactor  of 
his  kind. 

The  committee  have  appointed  to  take  charge  of  this 
evening's  exercises  one  who  perhaps  more  than  any 
other  man  of  his  years  is  to-day  in  the  eye  of  the  Ameri- 
can people,  John  Gary  Evans,  of  Union's  class  of  1883, 
Governor  of  South  Carolina.  [Applause,  during  which 
Governor  Evans  advanced.]  Union  College  does  not 
make  every  one  of  her  children  think  alike.  She  makes 
men  who  can  think  for  themselves  —  men  who,  according 
to  their  light,  do  what  they  think  is  the  right  thing  to 
do.  In  leaving  the  management  of  this  final  exercise  of 
the  Centennial  in  the  kindly  hands  of  Governor  Evans, 
I  wish  to  express  the  thanks  of  the  corporation  which  I 
represent  for  your  attendance  and  interest  in  these  entire 
Centennial  proceedings ;  and  especially  to  thank  the 
strangers  among  us  for  their  generous  appreciation  of 
every  effort  made  by  its  representatives  for  their  enter- 
tainment. I  take  great  pleasure  in  x^resenting  Governor 
Evans  and  leaving  you  in  his  care.     [Applause.] 


ADDRESS 

BY   GOVERNOR  EVANS. 

Class  of  1883. 

IADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN,  Fellow  Alumni  and  Un- 
^  dergradimtes  of  Union  College :  I  desire  at  the  out- 
set to  thank  the  committee  who  have  invited  me  to  be 
present  and  preside  upon  this  occasion.  I  assure  you 
that  my  pleasure  to-night  at  being  here  is  akin  to  that 
which  fills  the  heart  of  a  dutiful  son  when  he  attends  a 
birthday  gathering  in  honor  of  his  mother ;  and  it  gives 
me  filial  joy  to  bring  to  my  alma  mater  what  small  hon- 
ors, if  they  be  such,  I  may  have  gained,  and  lay  them  at 
her  feet. 

In  America,  the  college  is  at  once  a  needed  and  a  po- 
tent factor  in  statesmanship  and  politics.  We  might  say 
that  the  college  has  been  the  salvation  of  the  Union. 
But,  friends,  I  have  not  come  here  to  review  past  differ- 
ences which  once  divided  a  united  family.  I  have  come 
here  to  bring  a  message  to  the  young  statesmen  of  Old 
Union  —  ay,  and  to  the  old  statesmen,  that  they  may 
consider  the  grievous  needs  of  our  nation.  I  bring  to 
you  a  message  from  a  section  which  I  have  the  honor  to 
represent,  a  section  to  which  the  preservation  of  this 
Union  is  as  dear  as  it  is  to  New  York  or  Massachusetts. 
W^hile  possibly  some  of  you  may  have  thought  from 
reading  the  press  reports  that  South  Carolina  was  ready 
to    secede    again,   nothing    could   be    farther   removed 


440  UNION    COLLEGE. 

from  the  tnitli.  The  lesson  of  the  war  is  not  so  easily 
forgotten.  But  I  repeat  that  my  message  to  you  does 
not  concern  past  differences.  •  My  home  is  where,  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  with  the  perfume  of  the  magnolia 
commingles  the  delicious  odor  of  ripening  fruits  and  har- 
vests. Grod  has  blessed  that  country  with  the  blessings 
and  favors  of  nature.  The  earth  fain  would  bless  with 
abundance  all  her  children  there;  and  yet,  strange  and 
unnatural  as  it  may  seem,  in  that  God-favored  country 
to-day  there  are  people  who  are  actually  struggling  for 
a  bare  existence,  simply  because  they  lack  a  proper 
medium  of  exchange.  Heaven  looks  kindly  down,  the 
earth  pours  forth  her  treasure,  everything  is  right  but 
the  misgovernment  of  man.  We  are  thrifty;  we  are  j^ro- 
gressive ;  and  our  climate  and  soil  will  not  let  us  starve 
in  spite  of  injustice  and  folly ;  and  we  of  the  young  South 
are  determined  to  win  in  the  industrial  arts  and  in  the 
race  of  progress  —  and  yet  for  want  of  a  fair  medium  of 
exchange  many  of  our  people  are  compelled  almost  to 
pawn  their  pots  !  This  question  is  for  the  young  states- 
man to  grapple  with,  for  the  young  graduates  of  Union 
College  to  examine  and  answer.  In  the  solution  of  this 
problem  the  country  seems  to  be  divided  into  three  sec- 
tions, one  section  being  the  South,  a  second  section  being 
the  West,  and  a  third  section  being  the  North  and  East. 
At  present  tlie  interests  of  these  three  sections  seem  to 
be  conflicting ;  they  seem  to  be  irreconcilable.  It  would 
seem  impossible  at  the  present  moment  for  any  man  to 
point  out  the  legislation  by  which  these  diverse  interests 
would  be  equally  preserved  intact,  and  to  the  glory  of 
our  common  Union.  I  know  not  why  this  should  be  so. 
We  hear  the  rumblings  of  the  distant  storm.  There  is 
unrest,  and  I  fear  something  more  than  mere  disquiet.  I 
touch  upon  this  question  timidly ;  for  the  man  who  al- 
ludes to  it  is  likely  to  be  assailed  as  a  demagogue  by 
almost  the  entire  public  press.     When  we  tell  you  that 


ADDRESS.  441 

we  have  eveiy  blessing  that  God  could  bestow  upon  a 
people,  and  that  we  are  moving  forward  in  our  industries 
and  in  our  educational  facilities,  and  in  the  same  breath 
tell  you  that  we  are  "  poor  indeed,"  it  docs  seem  as  if  we 
were  indulging  in  very  conflicting  statements.  But  there 
is  a  question  here  pressing  for  solution ;  and  the  task 
which  confronts  the  young  statesman  and  politician  is 
more  serious  even  than  that  which  the  North  had  to  deal 
with  in  the  days  of  secession  and  war. 

In  time  of  peace  we  have  an  effort  made  looking  toward 
a  centralization  of  power  and  of  wealth.  We  have  here 
this  danger,  and  I  can  speak  plainly  in  this  presence,  for 
here  I  am  no  alien,  no  mere  citizen  of  another  State.  Here 
I  am  a  son  of  Old  Union,  and  I  am  speaking  to  a  band  of 
brothers  among  whom  heart  beats  with  heart,  and  the 
trouble  of  one  is  the  concern  of  all.  [Applause.]  We 
have  this  danger  to  the  Republic,  the  massing  of  mighty 
power  and  colossal  wealth  in  the  hands  of  the  few  quar- 
tered in  our  populous  cities.  It  is  a  danger  which  we  of 
the  South  feel  more  keenly  than  you  of  the  North ;  and 
it  is  a  danger  which  must  be  dealt  with  courageously. 
In  your  own  metropolis  alone  twenty  families  control 
enough  wealth  to  purchase  a  sovereign  State,  although  it 
seems  that  they  regard  English  lords  and  French  counts 
as  a  more  interesting,  if  not  a  more  lucrative,  investment. 
These  enormous  and  ever-accumulating  fortunes  exist; 
and  what  a  mighty  force  for  the  corruption  of  govern- 
ment they  represent !  The  agriculturists  of  the  country 
are  poor,  and  one  might  almost  say  actually  begging  for 
the  necessaries  of  life.  We  of  the  South  are  an  agricul- 
tural people.  The  people  of  the  West  are  agricultural  in 
their  intei'ests.  We  are  dependent  upon  you  and  you 
are  dependent  upon  us.  Cannot  we  then  harmonize  our 
differences?  Will  there  not  be  a  sounder  and  broader 
statesmanship  disseminated  from  our  institutions  of 
learning,  so  that  selfishness  may  not  threaten  and  de- 


442  UNION    COLLEGE. 

stroy  the  liberties  for  which  our  fathers  fought  I  I  tell 
you  what  we  of  the  South  feel  to-day,  and  what  you 
yourselves  must  inevitably  feel.  The  South  lost  last 
year  twenty  million  dollars  upon  her  cotton  crop.  A 
syndicate  in  New  York  made  fifteen  million  dollars  upon 
the  bonds  it  took  to  pay  the  debt !  While  these  things 
go  on  and  vast  wealth  is  accumulating  in  one  section  of 
the  country,  can  you  not  see  the  danger  that  threatens 
the  very  life  of  the  Republic  1  In  the  days  of  Rome  this 
centralization  of  wealth  caused  great  murmurings  and 
mutterings  among  the  people  which  the  authorities  tried  to 
appease  by  the  distribution  of  free  corn.  But  this  means 
of  purchasing  peace  became  finally  powerless  and  the 
Republic  fell.  Shall  we  pursue  the  same  course  that  is 
strewn  with  the  ashes  of  Roman  greatness  ?  Or  shall  we 
not  rather  seek  an  answer  to  the  question  of  how  to  at- 
tain an  equitable  distribution  of  wealth  among  our  whole 
people  ?  This  is  the  question  we  face  to-day,  my  friends. 
This  is  the  question  the  answer  to  which  we  seek.  But 
the  young  statesmen  and  the  young  politicians  of  the 
South  and  the  West  and  the  North  who  ask  this  ques- 
tion are  denounced  as  demagogues.  If  there  are  those 
here  who  doubt  the  condition  of  our  people  at  the  South, 
caused,  as  we  believe,  by  this  crying  evil  of  the  unequal 
distribution  of  wealth,  let  them  go  down  into  the  homes 
of  these  people,  or  send  their  statesmen,  to  see  for  them- 
selves. I  am  satisfied  that  if  yon  should  see  these  things 
and  should  realize  the  danger  as  we  realize  it,  that  broad 
statesmanship  which  has  always  characterized  the  sons 
of  Union  in  times  of  danger  would  prevail  and  triumph 
over  it  all.  This  is  the  sentiment  in  which  the  South 
asks  the  North  to  join  for  the  dispersion  of  the  common 
danger  and  the  solution  of  this  problem  which  chal- 
lenges the  highest  statecraft.  Such  is  the  sentiment 
which  I  represent  here  to-night,  extending  the  grasp  of 
my  hand  and  the  deep  desire  of  my  heart  to  the  young 


ADDRESS.  "  443 

statesiueii  of  the  North.  Let  there  be  no  coiillietiiig  in- 
terests. Let  there  be  no  danger  of  this  kind  threatening 
onr  stability  in  the  eyes  of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Let 
us  take  your  products  in  a  fair  exchange  for  ours,  and 
let  us  go  forward  to  a  common  prosperity.  We  will  do 
our  best  to  deal  with  tliis  question  at  the  South.  We 
have  cast  aside  all  animosity;  there  is  no  feeling  but  for 
the  common  weal.  And  when  you  hear  that  So-and-So 
of  the  old  school  has  been  displaced,  do  not  attribute  it 
to  demagogues,  but  to  the  sound,  progressive  element 
that  goes  out  from  Old  Union  College.     [Applause.] 

Now,  my  friends,  as  I  said,  I  have  come  here  with  no 
subject  for  discussion  whatever.  I  have  come  simply 
to  set  forth  a  few  facts  for  the  young  statesman  to  con- 
sider, in  order  that  he  may  leave  here  feeling  that  all  is 
not  well  with  his  nation ;  feeling  that  the  mutterings  of 
the  people  and  the  uprisings,  which  he  is  told  are  sim- 
ply the  result  of  the  leadership  of  designing  men,  are, 
in  fact,  from  that  class  which  has  always  saved  the  na- 
tion. Let  the  young  statesman  remember  that  he  who 
saves  his  country  saves  all  things,  and  all  things  saved 
will  bless  him.     [Applause.] 

After  music  by  the  College  Mandolin  Club  and  the 
College  Glee  Club, 

Governor  Evans  said :  It  is  with  great  pleasure,  my  friends,  that  I  in- 
troduce a  graduate  of  Old  Union,  who,  during  the  time  that  tried  men's 
souls,  was  receiving  good,  wholesome  instruction  from  the  old  fountain  of 
learning  here.  I  introduce  Hon.  David  C.  Robinson,  of  the  class  of  '65,  a 
citizen  of  your  own  State.     [Applause.] 


ADDRESS 

BY  HON.   DAVID   C.   ROBINSON. 

Class  of  1865. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Once 
more  the  silence  of  the  summer  rests  upon  these 
venerated  walls.  Once  more  the  light  and  the  living 
green  make  beautiful  the  twilight.  Once  more  the  fra- 
grance and  the  radiance  of  flower  and  foliage  are  in  the 
air  around  us.  Once  more  the  gathered  throng  of  sons 
devoted  is  in  the  city  of  our  long-time  love.  Once  more, 
for  an  hour,  the  intervening  past  is  gone,  and  on  the 
surge  of  a  perennial  youth  we  rise  as  fresh  in  sentiment 
as  these  before  us  whose  faces  are  yet  radiant  with  the 
light  of  life's  bright  morning.  Around  us  are  the  hopes, 
the  fears,  the  joys,  the  sorrows,  the  dreads,  and  dreams 
of  years  now  gone  forever.  With  us  are  faces  now  no 
more  of  earth.  Consecrated  hands  stretch  out  to  us 
across  the  chasm  of  the  vanished  past.  Holy  voices 
sound  out  like  echoes  from  the  years  beyond  the  flood. 
Shadows  of  the  almost  forgotten  dance  in  the  soft 
light  of  evening. 

Bear  with  us,  friends,  if,  amid  these  day-dreams,  we 
linger  just  a  little,  ere  the  curtain  falls  on  them  forever. 
Bear  with  us  while  the  lights  seem  touched  with  colors 
not  alone  of  earth ;  while  the  songs  of  other  years  seem 
fraught  with  harmonies  not  now  in  music  known  to  men ; 
while  the  voices  that  do  speak,  the  faces  that  do  look. 


ADDKESS.  445 

the  sceues  that  force  their  eoniiiig,  huve  in  them  each 
that  sacred  something  which  is  all  the  world  to  us.  So 
come  tlie  memories  of  youth  to  those  who  have  such 
treasures  in  the  past  as  we  may  claim.  Be  not  surprised 
that  in  this  summer  air,  bj^  this  calm  stream,  within 
these  classic  shades,  the  sheen  of  lights  departed  tints  all 
the  shadows  of  the  coming  night.  For  we  are  gathered 
at  this  ancient  seat  as  we  shall  not  again  gather  while  we 
live  on  earth.  Fain  would  we  tarry  long  within  this  at- 
mosphere of  thought.  Would  we  might  here  forget  the 
stern  and  unrelenting  call  of  earthly  duty,  and  the  high 
sanction  of  its  disobedience.  Alas !  not  such  our  privi- 
lege !  There  is  a  promise  yet  unfulfilled ;  a  hope  so  far 
deferred ;  a  dream  as  yet  unrealized  of  rest  beyond  our 
earthly  vision.  Speed  its  good  coming ;  but  it  is  not 
with  us  yet.  The  trumpet-call  to  action  speaks  out  as 
never  before.  Our  stay  in  the  land  of  sentiment  must 
needs  be  short. 

The  fragrance  of  these  flowers  of  memory  springs  from 
the  care  with  which  they  have  been  tended.  That  which 
they  are,  that  which  they  speak,  that  which  they  sym- 
bolize to  us,  is  born  of  years  of  constant  labor  and  un- 
ending devotion.  The  love,  the  care,  the  thought,  the 
work  of  a  hundred  years  stand  around  about  the  radiant 
achievings  of  to-day,  and  make  foundation  for  the  airy 
mirage  in  the  which  so  many  of  us  revel  for  an  hour. 
As  out  of  the  varied  harmony  of  some  vast  cathedral 
organ  sounds  all  at  once  the  mighty  undertone  of  a  diapa- 
son, so  sounds  to  us  the  story  of  the  end  and  aim  of  this 
one  hundred  years.  What  plans,  what  thought  ingenious, 
what  learning  sublime,  what  questions  debated  and  de- 
cided, what  forecast  used,  what  perils  tried  and  shunned, 
what  |)roblems  solved  and  laid  aside,  are  gathered  in  the 
history  of  that  hundred  years  ?  What  wonder  that  as  to 
an  ancient  shrine  we  pilgrims  of  the  dark  and  doubtful 
night  come  up  with  shoes  put  off  our  feet  to  tread  awhile 


446  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  holy  ground,  while  still  the  diapason  thunders  in  our 
ears.  Peace  rest  upon  them  both  —  the  silent  shrine,  the 
speaking  memory. 

What  this  institution,  its  teachers,  its  founders  and 
leaders  have  accomplished  in  the  century  of  its  existence 
is  written  in  letters  indelible  upon  the  history  of  our 
country,  upon  the  record  of  its  every  science,  in  the  leg- 
ends of  every  noble  effort  of  the  human  mind  which  our 
land  has  known.  Filled  with  the  sense  of  all  that  she  is, 
of  all  that  she  has  been,  of  all  that  her  noble  sons  have 
done,  I  am  asked  to  speak  to  you  to-night  of  Union  Col- 
lege in  statesmanship  and  politics.  I  shall  not  tell  you 
of  the  shock  this  summons  gave  me.  For  thirty  years  I 
have  stood  subject  to  Union's  every  call.  No  demand 
that  she  could  make  would  ever  fill  the  measure  of  that 
which  I  owe  to  her.  For  her  I  have  dared  every  sort  of 
peril,  from  the  long-drawn  debates  of  her  Board  of  Trus- 
tees to  the  dietetic  dangers  of  the  Alumni  lunch.  Yet 
had  I  hoped,  when  I  was  bidden  to  voice  some  sentiment 
in  her  honor,  it  might  have  been  in  lighter  mood  to  cele- 
brate the  gallantry,  the  music,  or  the  poetry  of  other 
years,  the  girls  we  loved,  the  songs  we  sang,  the  verses 
we  indited  —  why  was  I  not  asked  to  speak  of  these! 
[Laughter.]  Alas,  not  so.  The  gMs  are  here — same  ones 
—  to  speak  for  themselves  !  [Laughter.]  The  songs  are 
tabooed  by  a  re-organized  j^olice,  and  the  verses  —  well, 
what  can  be  expected  to  survive  in  an  age  of  reform ! 
So,  as  often  in  our  previous  residence  in  this  neighbor- 
hood, we  are  turned  against  our  will  from  folly  to  serious 
thought. 

The  first  step  in  the  discussion  of  such  a  theme  as 
your  committee  have  punished  the  speaker  with  is  a 
definition  of  what  is  meant  by  "statesmanship"  and 
what  by  "politics."  Here  and  now,  if  ever  and  any- 
where, let  us  speak  the  truth,  and  thus,  perhaps,  even  at 
this  late  day,  atone  for  some  past  shortcomings  in  this 


ADDRESS.  447 

vicinity  as  toiichiii«^  that  sort  of  si)Ooch.  "  Politics,"  in 
the  language  of  the  modern  American,  is  generally  ac- 
counted the  art  of  swindling  the  other  side  out  of  what- 
ever seems  to  be  afloat ;  "  statesmanship,"  the  higher  art 
of  concealing  the  swindle  after  its  perpetration.  The 
dreams  of  our  fathers  of  a  government  of  the  people,  by 
the  people,  and  for  the  people,  has  somehow  resolved  it- 
self into  the  motto  of  the  modern  American  statesman, 
"What  is  there  in  it  for  us?"  And  with  politicians 
buying  voters  at  five  dollars  apiece;  poll-workers  de- 
manding ten  dollars  a  day;  ward-heelers  receiving  fifty 
dollars  a  week ;  assemblymen  said  to  be  for  sale  at  two 
hundred  dollars  each,  and  senators  at  five  hundred  dol- 
lars each ;  bribery  in  the  Congressional  and  Legislative 
halls  of  statesmen  by  day,  and  draw  poker  in  the  hotels 
by  the  same  statesmen  at  night,  the  conscientious  orator 
finds  himself  backed  up  against  a  pyramid  of  past  glories 
a  hundred  years  old,  and  asked  to  define  the  position 
which  Union  College  ought  to  occupy  in  statesmanship 
and  politics.  Is  it  a  wonder  that  sometimes  he  almost 
sympathizes  with  the  theory  that  the  women  —  God  bless 
them  !  —  are  the  only  true  statesmen,  and  that  the  millen- 
nium will  only  come  when  Susan  Jones  is  President  and 
Sairey  Gamp  Secretary  of  State  [laughter],  when  the 
new  woman  runs  the  primaries  and  Union  College  grad- 
uates are  only  allowed  in  politics  with  a  woman's  permit 
—  not  good  after  dark  at  that,  and  not  issued  at  all  in 
the  State  of  South  Carolina. 

There  is  a  little  philosophy  in  that  time-worn  story  of 
the  doting  parents,  who,  unable  to  decide  to  what  voca- 
tion they  should  devote  their  hopeful  son,  aged  eight, 
agreed  to  watch  him  on  the  playground  of  the  school- 
house  from  a  near-by  window,  and  to  determine  the 
question  by  his  doings  there.  If  he  did  all  the  talking, 
he  should  be  a  lawyer.  If  he  swapped  jack-knives,  he 
should  be   a   merchant.     If  he  drew  chalk  pictures,  he 


448  UNION    COLLEGE. 

should  be  an  artist.  If  he  fought,  he  should  go  to  West 
Point.  And  when,  five  minutes  before  recess,  the  young 
hopeful,  having  played  hookey  on  his  too  confiding  in- 
structor, stole  three  lunch-baskets  and  four  big  apples, 
and  made  away  with  his  entire  plunder  behind  the  school- 
house,  the  fond  father  exclaimed  in  ecstasy,  "  My  dear, 
he  's  a  hog.  Let  's  make  a  politician  of  him."  [Laugh- 
ter.] Nor  are  we  able  to  say  that  judged  by  modern 
standards  the  youth  was  totally  unfitted  for  the  career 
thus  proudly  marked  out  for  him.  Still,  in  this  same  line 
of  thought,  I  might  mention  some  instances  of  magnificent 
self-denial  which  ought  not  to  be  overlooked.  In  a  dis- 
trict not  far  from  that  which  has  the  honor  of  my  resi- 
dence, a  Republican  caucus  was  recently  called  — for  some 
good  purpose,  I  suppose.  Factional  feeling  was  high, 
and  although  there  were  but  three  hundred  voters  in  the 
district,  when  the  polls  were  opened  it  was  found  that 
there  were  two  thousand  ballots  in  the  hat.  The  success- 
ful party  declined  to  accept  the  results  of  this  notable 
triumph  on  the  ground  that  there  was  reason  in  all 
things.  I  need  hardly  say  that  he  lost  his  political  stand- 
ing at  once,  and  has  been  called  a  Mugwump  ever  since, 
whatever  that  opprobrious  term  may  mean. 

In  recent  thirst  for  political  information  I  asked  a  local 
statesman,  who  weighed  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
pounds  and  wore  a  number  six  hat,  "  How  do  you  man- 
age to  carry  a  caucus  where  there  are  four  hundred  votes 
against  you,  and  only  twenty-five  with  you?"  "Well," 
he  replied,  "  the  first  thing  is  to  import  some  more  votes." 
"  And  what  then  ? "  "  Oh,  you  've  got  to  have  good 
feeling."  "  And  how  do  you  obtain  that  ?  "  "  Oh,"  said 
he,  "  I  alwa3^s  buy  it  by  the  keg.  It  is  cheaper,  and  they 
like  it  better."  I  need  hardly  add  that  when  this  genius 
came  to  be  properly  appreciated,  he  was  at  once  ap- 
pointed postmaster  by  a  Democratic  Government. 

If  these  were  idle  fancies,  friends,  we  might  laugh  and 


ADDRESS.  449 

pass  them  by.  Perhaps  I  owe  apology  to  audience  so 
cultured  that  even  for  a  moment  I  drop  to  speech  so 
rude.  Yet  should  I  remind  you  that  out  of  just  such  an 
atmosphere  spring  now  the  powers  that  control  the  rights 
we  have,  or  ought  to  have,  as  well  as  our  place  and  stand- 
ing with  the  nations  of  the  earth  I  To  these  and  such  as 
they  may  choose  is  now  committed  the  right  to  make 
our  laws,  to  choose  our  officers,  and  the  high  prerogative 
to  make  provision  for  defending  title  to  property  rights 
of  man,  and  the  sacred  honor  of  woman.  That  it  is  so 
is  our  own  fault.  We  have  gone  so  far  astray  in  the  pur- 
suit of  dollars  and  cents  that  we  have  forgotten  the  higher 
duty  which  we  owe  to  the  commonwealth;  we  have 
lost  sight  of  those  better  things  which  are  not  to  be  meas- 
ured by  the  standards  of  commercial  value.  We  have  no 
right  to  condemn  the  methods  of  politics  and  politicians, 
while  we  stand  idly  by  and  refuse  to  recognize  our  own 
obligations  to  the  social  pact.  Statesmanship  does  not 
mean  office-holding.  The  discharge  of  public  duty  does 
not  demand  that  the  citizen  must  become  a  caucus  candi- 
date or  a  political  wire-puller.  In  the  better  days,  not 
long  ago,  our  public  policy  was  the  matured  result  of  an 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  common  weal.  To-day  the 
scramble  for  political  preferment,  personal  aggrandize- 
ment, and  private  gain  have  made  the  public  service  dis- 
tasteful to  the  very  men  who  ought  to  adorn  it.  It  is 
the  duty  of  those  who  stand  equipped,  as  are  the  sons  of 
Union,  for  this  righteous  warfare,  to  force  their  way  into 
the  midst  of  this  unclean  and  hateful  scramble,  and  there 
do  valiant  and  unselfish  battle  for  the  restoration  of  our 
government  to  its  former  high  estate.  In  this  way  only 
can  we  discharge  the  full  duty  which  we  owe  our  Alma 
Mater,  and  as  well  the  duty  we  owe  to  the  land  we  love. 
What  this  college  has  been  to  our  government,  what  it 
has  been  to  our  State,  what  it  has  been  to  every  consti- 
tutional and  legislative  reform,  are  matters  of  history. 
29 


450  UNION    COLLEGE. 

So  thoroughly  identified  is  it  and  its  past  with  all  that  is 
best  in  American  statesmanship  and  American  politics, 
that  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
the  honor  of  the  United  States,  are  intertwined  with  the 
work  and  triumphs  of  Union  College  as  is  one  strand  of 
a  rope  with  another. 

I  might  well  linger  here  to  speak  the  name  and  fame 
of  many  an  honored  son  of  Union  College  who  has  re- 
flected glory  upon  her.  It  would  be  a  pleasant  task  to  re- 
call the  many  who  walked  here  with  reverent  feet,  learned 
here  great  lessons  from  the  book  of  human  nature,  and 
went  forth  to  a  heritage  of  toil  and  care  for  others,  which 
have  made  names  immortal  for  themselves  and  riches 
uncounted  for  their  fellow-men.  I  could  tell  you  of  him 
whose  scholarly  foresight  beheld  the  coming  storm  of 
forty  years  ago,  and  whose  clarion  voice  gave  warning  of 
the  irrepressible  conflict  even  then  upon  us.  I  could  tell 
you  of  others  who,  with  equal  skill  and  equal  zeal,  did 
yeoman  service  in  the  great  issues  of  those  other  days 
and  the  re-organizations  which  have  followed  storms  now 
passed  away.  These  would  be  pleasant  words  to  speak 
and  hear.  Not  so,  however,  do  I  account  the  highest 
aim  of  our  concurrent  thought  to-night.  That  which 
does  most  honor  to  her  we  celebrate  is  not  the  work  and 
wisdom  of  any  one  or  any  hundred  of  her  sons.  They 
only  illustrated  that  which  they  had  here  been  taught. 
They  only  trod  the  paths  to  which  their  feet  had  here 
been  early  turned.  Let  us  rather  contemplate  the  spirit 
of  that  teaching,  the  lines  of  those  successful  paths.  Not 
long  need  we  ponder  ere  the  symmetry  and  strength,  the 
high  argument,  of  this  great  work  are  borne  in  upon  us. 
Whose  mind  so  ready;  whose  thought  so  keen;  whose 
ken  so  wide ;  whose  eye  so  bright  in  all  the  broad  field 
of  statesmanship  as  that  of  them  who  drank  deep 
draughts  at  the  fountains  of  truth  here  set  at  liberty,  and 
by  the  strength  thus  gained  led  on  a  nation  through  a 


ADDRESS.  451 

wilderness  beset  by  many  perplexities  and  watered  with 
a  flood  of  anxious  tears !  By  what  a  path  this  i)eople 
have  marched  here !  The  pillar  of  cloud  by  <hiy  and  the 
pillar  of  tire  by  night  were  no  more  wonderful  than  the 
signs  of  the  heavens  which,  read  by  eyes  almost  inspired, 
have  been  guide  and  compass  to  the  land  we  love.  As 
Moses,  elect  of  Heaven,  stood  in  the  way  to  hear  the  di- 
rections of  infinite  wisdom  and  yet  remains  unrivaled  in 
the  glory  of  his  work,  so  still  stands  sure  the  fame  of  them 
who  have  had  perception  to  recognize  the  drift  of  human 
progress,  and  wisdom  to  direct  the  people  of  this  nation 
thus  far  on  its  road  of  prosperity,  growth,  and  improve- 
ment. No  man  shall  wisely  lead  his  fellow-man  but  as 
he  knows  the  road  to  that  man's  mind  and  heart.  The 
study  of  mankind  alone  makes  possible  the  triumph  of 
the  statesman,  the  symmetry  of  the  State.  The  great 
issues  of  right  and  wrong  can  only  be  taught  to  men  by 
those  who  have  long  known  the  paths  which  lead  from 
man  to  man.  This  is  the  knowledge  which  the  world 
most  needs  and  has  most  sadly  lacked.  He  who  has  im- 
bibed it  stands  panoplied  in  armor  well  meant  for  every 
social  fray  even  in  these  tempestuous  days. 

I  put  aside  as  unworthy  of  respect  the  distinction  so 
often  drawn  between  statesmanship  and  politics.  If  we 
are  to  endure  as  a  nation,  if  we  are  to  grow  in  strength  and 
purity,  the  wretched  idea  that  politics  is  the  science  and 
practice  of  public  spoliation  must  be  abandoned  forever. 
The  methods  of  the  American  caucus  and  those  of  the 
forty  thieves  are  so  nearly  akin  that  the  attempt  to  dis- 
tinguish them  is  a  waste  of  time.  The  difference  between 
the  buccaneers  of  two  centuries  ago  and  the  average  ward 
politician  of  to-day  is  principally  one  of  hats  and  boots, 
albeit  one  carried  his  weapon  in  his  belt  and  the  other 
has  it  in  his  pocket.  The  cheats,  the  deals,  the  grabs 
and  steals,  the  fraud  and  lies,  the  perjury  and  swindling 
which  have  made  the  record  of  partizanship  for  twenty 


452  UNION    COLLEGE. 

years,  lie  at  the  root  of  that  which  threatens  us  and  our 
institutions  to-day.  These  tricks  and  crimes  should  be 
relegated  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  penal  courts,  where 
alone  they  belong.  The  statesmanship  and  the  politics 
of  which  we  speak  differ  from  each  other  only  iu  that  the 
latter  consists  in  the  advocacy  of  a  policy,  the  former  in 
the  administration  of  a  government. 

It  is  the  pride  and  glory  of  our  common  mother  that 
her  teaching  has  been  that  of  an  intelligent  philanthroj^y 
through  all  the  century  of  her  existence.  In  her  classes, 
whatever  else  has  been  neglected,  two  great  lessons  have 
always  been  taught  —  the  eternal  strength  of  right  over 
wrong,  and  the  great  study  of  human  nature.  In  every 
phase  of  fancy,  by  every  road  of  illustration,  these 
lessons  have  been  given  over  and  over  again.  Within 
these  halls,  for  every  moment  since  1795,  the  lessons  of  a 
true  democracy,  the  equal  rights  of  man  and  man,  the 
universal  and  impartial  right  of  the  weakest  to  the  pro- 
tection of  law  have  been  the  alphabet  of  instruction. 
What  wonder  that,  thus  taught,  her  sons  have  filled,  in 
proportion  to  their  numbers,  a  tenfold  wider  field  in  the 
range  of  scholarly  statesmanship  and  true  politics  than 
those  of  any  institution  of  the  land  ?  This  is  the  high- 
est, the  noblest  output  of  human  thought  and  culture. 
To  lead  aright  the  feet  of  a  confiding  people,  to  deserve 
the  trust  they  place,  are  worth  the  contents  of  a  thousand 
coffers,  outshine  the  jewels  of  a  thousand  crowns. 

And  now  draws  near  the  hour  that  shall  try  men's 
souls  as  they  have  never  yet  been  tried.  The  evolution 
of  the  past  decade  brings  us  face  to  face  with  great 
changes  in  our  social  structure  —  vast  accumulations  of 
wealth  on  the  one  hand,  gaunt  poverty  on  the  other. 
Here  the  grind  of  great  capital,  there  the  murmur  of  dis- 
content; personal  aggrandizement  and  display,  bitter  re- 
sentment and  hatred,  fill  the  story  of  to-day.  Organiza- 
tions of  mastei's   here,  of  servants  there,  are  pushing. 


ADDRESS.  45IJ 

crowding  each  other  till  the  earth  is  full  of  dreary  discord. 
Still  the  march  of  invention  fills  the  scene  with  shifts  so 
sudden  as  to  reach  the  marvelous.  To-day  the  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Engineers  is  the  most  powerful  and 
well  disciplined  of  organizations.  Ten  years  hence  the 
locomotive  itself  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  many 
fields  the  development  of  electric  machinery  makes  each 
year  the  training  and  the  lalior  of  other  years  absolutely 
worthless.  What  social  unrest  and  disturbance  shall 
attend  these  changes  none  can  measure.  What  human 
wisdom  shall  forecast  the  perils  sure  to  come,  and  pro- 
vide elastic  safeguards  for  social  order  in  its  hour  of 
danger  1  Not  idly  content  are  a  million  workmen  to  see 
the  support  of  families  dwindle ;  not  without  peril  shall 
be  the  evolution  of  a  system  which  cuts  in  twain  the 
compensation  of  the  toiling  millions.  Yet  these  changes 
knock  at  the  very  gates  of  the  citadel.  The  question  and 
the  peril  are  here. 

My  friends,  that  which  made  this  good  mother  what 
she  has  been  shall  make  her  still  more  to  our  land  in  the 
fast-coming  storm.  Here  through  the  generations  has 
been  taught  —  aye,  and  illustrated  —  the  great  lesson  of 
self-sacrifice.  If  modern  statesmanship  and  modern  poli- 
tics have  been  debased  and  degraded  by  greed  and  avarice, 
they  shall  find  their  uplift  in  a  magnificent  self-denial, 
which  shall  crowd  out  the  venal  and  putrescent  ringsters 
of  the  day.  God  forgive  them;  they  have  laid  hands 
upon  the  very  ark  of  the  covenant.  But  here  in  this  land 
of  the  loyal,  in  this  home  of  the  hopeful,  on  the  threshold 
of  better  days  for  us  and  our  children,  they  shall  not  sell 
our  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage.  They  shall  not 
trafi&c  in  class  hatred  and  legislative  spoil. 

There  are  roads  resplendent  which  lead  from  tin?  high- 
est to  the  lowest,  and  these  roads  are  fragrant  with  a 
thousand  flowers  of  manly  coui'age  and  womanly  faith. 
If  it  be  true  that  one  touch  of  human  nature  makes  all 
29* 


45-1:  UNION    COLLEGE. 

the  world  akin,  then,  at  the  summons  consecrate  of  an  un- 
selfish devotion,  these  flowers  shall  yet  bloom  as  never 
in  the  world's  sad  history.  And  he  who  has  read  aright 
the  law  of  self-sacrifice  has  in  his  grasp  the  wand  of 
human  progress,  the  open  sesame  to  social  blessings  yet 
unnumbered.  To  the  well-educated  the  contention  be- 
tween employer  and  employed  should  be  impossible,  the 
social  overturn  a  sublime  mistake,  class  bitterness  the 
acme  of  human  folly.  Forget  not  we  that  when  the  One 
divine  made  effort  to  redeem  a  world,  he  stooped  to 
lowest  depth,  and  in  the  crown  of  thorns  found  insignia 
of  glory  eternal.  "  When  thou  tookest  upon  thee  to  de- 
liver man,  thou  didst  humble  thyself  to  be  born  of  a  vir- 
gin," is  text  magnificent  for  him  who  would  be  true 
statesman,  true  politician.  The  meed  of  him  who  loves 
and  labors  for  his  native  land  can  never  be  measured  by 
pelf  or  price.  That  this  great  lesson  has  been  always  the 
teaching  of  our  alma  mater  is  the  secret  of  her  past, 
the  promise  of  her  future. 

I  shall  not  fill  the  measure  of  your  thought  and  mind 
if  I  cease  these  words  unmindful  of  that  which  we  owe 
to  those  great  souls  whose  very  forms  do  seem  again  to 
teach  us  as  in  the  years  agone.  In  their  lives  they 
showed  forth  the  lessons  of  that  very  self-devotion  in 
which  alone  we  now  have  hope  —  that  human  sympathy 
which  alone  opens  the  door  to  other  hearts.  Here,  on 
the  ground  they  trod  when  they  made  plain  the  best  of 
learning,  it  is  meet  that  we  do  honor  to  that  which  they 
were  and  did,  now  that  they  rest  from  their  labors.  In 
the  temples  of  the  attained  glory  they  shall  wear  laurels 
worthy  of  their  work.  If,  in  the  far  off  city  where  those 
temples  stand,  we  are  some  day  accounted  not  unfit  to 
enter,  the  crowns  most  bright  will,  I  am  sure,  be  found 
adorning  those  dear  friends  of  yours  and  mine  whose 
simple  lives  of  self-forgetfulness  made  possible  what  this 
institution  is,  what  her  sous  have  done  in  the  days  that 


ADDKESS.  455 

are  gone,  and  what  they  shall  do  in  tlio  Ijetter  days  to 
come;  at  once  the  high  argument  of  our  thanksgiving 
for  that  which  Union  College  has  been  in  the  statesman- 
ship and  politics  of  the  past,  and  our  hope  foi-  that  which 
she  shall  be  in  the  better  statesmanship  and  polities  of 
the  future. 


ADDRESS 

.      BY  CHARLES  EMORY  SMITH,  LL.  D. 

Class  of  1861. 

PLUTARCH  gives  us  an  interesting  account  of  the 
early  training  of  Pericles.  The  first  statement  is 
that  Damon,  under  the  pretense  of  teaching  him  music, 
instructed  him  in  politics.  Whether  politics  was  some- 
thing to  be  disguised  under  a  more  innocent  accomplish- 
ment, we  are  left  to  infer;  be  that  as  it  may,  it  was 
awarded  the  first  place.  Zeno  opened  to  the  young  stu- 
dent the  alluring  paths  of  natural  philosophy.  Under 
the  influence  of  Anaxagoras,  who  first  recognized  the 
intelligent  law  of  the  universe,  he  gained  the  elevation 
and  sublimity  of  sentiment  and  the  loftiness  and  purity 
of  style  which  gave  such  dignity  and  splendor  to  his 
speaking. 

Through  these  varied  teachings  the  great  Athenian 
orator  and  statesman  developed  and  broadened  the  na- 
tive powers  which  burst  forth  in  Olympian  eloquence, 
and  made  such  a  profound  impress  upon  his  country  and 
his  age.  With  it  all  there  was  a  mixture  of  athletics. 
When  Thucydides  was  asked  which  was  the  best  wrest- 
ler, Pericles  or  he,  he  answered,  "When  I  throw  him, 
he  says  he  was  never  down,  and  he  persuades  the  very 
spectators  to  believe  so."  Yet  with  all  this  training 
which  enriched  his  culture  and  sustained  his  flights  and 
amplified  his  inherent  forces,  he  maintained  unceasing 


ADDRESS.  457 

watchfulness,  and  never  spoke  in  public  without  first  ad- 
dressing a  prayer  to  the  gods  "  that  not  a  word  might 
nnaAvares  escape  him  unsuitable  to  the  occasion." 

Herein  lies  the  key  of  success.  The  triumphs  of  public 
life  are  rarely  accidental.  There  is  no  test  more  severe 
tliau  that  of  constantly  passing  under  the  public  judg- 
ment. And  so  the  record  of  an  institution  which  is  lumi- 
nous with  the  achievements  of  her  sons  is  not  a  matter 
of  chance.  The  influences  and  methods  which  implant 
the  knack  of  getting  on  are  not  the  hazard  of  the  hour. 
The  glory  of  Union  was  not  adventitious.  Through  a 
hundred  years  her  history  is  radiant  with  the  chaplets  of 
honor  which  have  come  to  her  graduates,  and  which 
their  achievements  have  woven  together  in  a  rich  gar- 
land for  the  brow  of  the  beloved  alma  mater.  Splendid 
as  are  her  trophies  in  law,  in  theology,  in  science,  in 
philosophy,  in  education,  and  in  practical  affairs,  there  is 
no  field  of  intellectual  success  from  which  she  derives 
more  luster  than  from  the  conquests  of  her  sons  in  the 
realm  of  higher  politics  and  statesmanship.  Where  is 
there  a  roll  which  glitters  with  a  greater  constellation  of 
shining  names  than  those  of  Spencer,  Yates,  Breese, 
Blatchford,  Tallmadge,  Stockton,  Conkling,  Bayard,  Har- 
ris, Toombs,  Peckham,  Cassidy,  Potter,  Bigelow,  Blair, 
Danforth,  Hartranft,  Butterfield,  Miller,  Seward,  and 
Arthur  ? 

It  is  a  proverb  that  in  the  earlier  years  Union  had  a 
larger  23roportion  of  representatives  in  conspicuous  public 
life  than  anj^  other  institution.  There  were  times  when 
she  had  half  a  dozen  sons  from  as  many  different  States 
sitting  together  in  the  United  States  Senate.  She  made 
governors,  cabinet  ministers,  diplomats,  bishops,  chief 
justices,  and  presidents.  Nor  was  this  a  mere  fortuitous 
result.  It  was  the  natural  fruit  of  a  deliberate  policy 
and  well-defined  methods.  It  was  the  legitimate  out- 
growth of  the  sagacious  system  of  a  master  who  in  many 


458  UNION    COLLEGE. 

respects  ranks  as  the  greatest  educator  this  country  has 
ever  seen.  Dr.  Nott  was  Damon  and  Zeno  and  Anaxa- 
goras  m  one.  Under  the  symphonies  of  music  he  could 
suggest  the  notes  of  politics.  Under  the  analogies  of 
philosophy  he  could  deduce  the  principles  of  life.  He 
had  an  unrivaled  power  of  inspiration.  With  his  match- 
less skill,  whether  in  private  talk  or  in  public  speech,  he 
might  say,  in  the  words  of  Shakspere : 

Bid  me  discourse,  I  will  enchant  tliine  ear. 

It  was  his  theory  to  rule  not  by  arbitrary  law  but  by 
reason  and  persuasion.  He  had  a  profound  knowledge 
of  the  human  heart.  With  his  marvelous  insight  and 
discernment  he  intuitively  saw  the  peculiar  character  of 
each  individual  mind.  With  his  consummate  address  he 
instinctively  adapted  his  methods  to  their  varying  re- 
quirements. He  developed  manhood  by  treating  his  boys 
as  men.  He  put  them  upon  their  honor.  He  deftly 
touched  the  real  springs  of  honorable  aspiration.  He 
took  the  wayward  by  the  hand  and  believed  in  giving 
every  man  a  chance.  He  taught  his  students  to  measure 
their  own  resources  and  strengthened  their  individuality. 
He  was  himself  both  a  masterly  instructor  and  an  im- 
posing example.  Had  he  been  in  politics  he  would  have 
been  a  Thurlow  Weed  and  a  William  H.  Seward  in  one. 
His  range  was  broad  and  varied.  He  could  rise  to  sub- 
lime heights  and  he  could  sound  the  inmost  depths  of 
sympathy  and  devotion.  In  his  stately  oration  on  Ham- 
ilton we  could  feel  that 

'T  is  the  Divinity  that  stu-s  within  him. 

In  the  gentle  and  gracious  tenderness  with  which  he  put 
his  strong  arm  around  the  humblest  student  and  gave 
him  encouragement  and  incentive  we  could  feel  that 't  is 
the  humanity  that  moves  him. 


ADDRESS.  4")!) 

Undrr  this  iiii^'lity  iiilliieiice,  at  once  powerful  uiid 
mellow,  whieli  stamped  itself  upon  the  whole  character 
of  Union  and  fixed  her  impress,  she  shaped  her  policy 
and  worked  out  her  career.  Was  it  the  immediate  im- 
jiression  and  the  direct  observation  of  the  power  exer- 
cised by  a  great  educator  in  molding  lives  that  sent  forth 
from  the  halls  of  Union  such  a  .remarkable  number  of 
men  themselves  distinguished  in  education,  like  Way- 
land  and  Nevin,  Alden  and  Raymond;  and  that  gave 
presidents  to  Brown,  Bowdoin,  Rutgers,  Madison,  Lafay- 
ette, Jefferson,  Franklin  and  Marshall,  Hobart,  Ken- 
tucky, Kalamazoo,  Vassar  and  still  other  colleges  ?  Was 
it  this  personal  example  that  influenced  the  not  dissimilar 
bent  of  the  leonine  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  who  carried 
from  the  liberty-loving  discourses  of  Dr.  Nott  an  anti- 
slavery  impulse  even  within  the  domain  of  Kentucky  — 
a  bent  that  led  the  Boanerges  of  the  pulpit  to  maintain 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  to  preside  over 
the  national  convention  of  1864  which  crowned  the  na- 
tional will  in  the  renomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  ? 
That  training  made  no  Procrustean  bed.  It  left  men  to 
follow  their  natural  careers.  It  gave  John  Howard  Payne, 
Fitzhugh  Ludlow  and  Douglas  Campbell  to  literature. 
It  sent  forth  Cassidy,  Bigelow  and  Wilkeson  to  shine 
among  the  great  lights  of  journalism.  It  contributed 
Breese,  Halleck,  Butterfield,  and  Hartranft  to  heroic 
deeds  on  sea  and  land.  It  illuminated  American  juris- 
prudence with  an  extraordinary  number  of  resplendent 
names  whose  portraitiu'e  belongs  to  other  tongues  than 
mine.  In  every  domain  of  intellectual  effort  its  monu- 
ments tower  among  the  most  conspicuous  illustrations 
of  American  genius. 

The  influence  and  impress  of  Union  were  as  broad  as 
the  bounds  of  the  Republic.  She  gave  two  chief  justices 
to  Illinois ;  governors  to  Georgia,  Wisconsin,  Pennsyl- 
vania, South  Carolina,  and  Massachusetts ;   senators  to 


460  UNION    COLLEGE. 

New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Illinois  and  other  States.  She 
cherishes  in  the  honored  roll  of  War  Grovernors  the  sturdy 
Austin  Blair,  of  Michigan.  But  though  measured  by  no 
State  limits  her  stamp  is  naturally  most  marked  upon 
the  imperial  commonwealth  with  which  she  is  especially 
identified.  The  political  history  of  New  York  is  in  large 
degree  the  biography  of  sous  of  Union.  From  the  very 
first  her  roll  was  one  of  distinction.  Among  the  gradu- 
ates of  1800  was  G-errit  Y.  Lansing,  for  many  years  the 
influential  representative  of  Albany  in  Congress,  whose 
silvery  locks  and  benignant  face  still  diffused  their  kindly 
light  and  left  their  gracious  picture  in  my  boyhood  days. 
Then  in  swift  succession  came  in  1806  John  C.  Spencer, 
in  1807  Joseph  C.  Yates,  in  1809  Grideon  Hawley,  and  in 
1810  Alfred  Conkling. 

Judge  Conkling  was  more  than  the  father  of  Roscoe 
Conkling.  He  was  himself  an  embodiment  of  the  high- 
bred qualities  he  transmitted,  a  leader  of  opinion,  a  con- 
gi-essman  of  repute,  a  distinguished  Minister  to  Mexico, 
and  a  jurist  whom  John  Quincy  Adams  was  glad  to  ap- 
point to  the  bench  because  of  the  esteem  formed  during 
their  association  in  Congress.  When  Joseph  C.  Yates  was 
named  as  judge  he  had  not  gained  fame,  and  there  was 
some  surprise.  But  he  sustained  himself  so  well  that  he 
was  elected  governor,  and  for  years  in  a  stormy  era  he 
played  an  important  part.  He  was  not  daring,  adven- 
turous, or  overmastering;  but  those  who  have  seen  the 
representation  of  his  statuesque  head,  with  his  lofty  brow 
surmounted  by  his  Apollo  locks,  can  understand  that  he 
was  dignified,  discreet,  and  cautious.  Grideon  Hawley  had 
been  only  three  years  out  of  Union  when  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  schools,  and  gained  the  enduring  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  father  of  the  common-school  system 
of  New  York.  He  was  earnest,  indefatigable,  and  crea- 
tive. "  For  the  paltry  sum  of  $300  a  year,"  says  the  his- 
torian, "he  perfected  a  system  for  the  management  of 


ADDRESS.  461 

the  school  fund ;  tlio  organization  of  every  neighborhood 
in  this  great  State  into  school  districts;  for  a  fair  and 
equal  distribution  of  the  bounty  of  the  State  into  every 
school  district;  and  he  devised  a  plan  of  operations  by 
which  this  vast  machinery  could  be  moved  and  managed 
by  a  single  individual."  It  was  one  of  the  beauties  of  the 
old  Council  of  Appointment  that  soon  after  he  had  in- 
augurated this  great  work  he  was  removed.  But  he  lived 
for  years  a  shining  pillar  in  the  social  and  public  fabric. 
I  well  remember  as  a  school-boy  with  what  veneration 
we  looked  to  his  tall  form  slightly  bent,  and  to  that  im- 
pressive aspect,  at  once  genial  and  commanding,  through 
which  gleamed  his  true  benevolence  of  soul. 

John  C  Spencer  brings  us  at  once  to  the  arena  of  high 
politics.  For  nearly  twenty  years  he  was  one  of  the 
chief  gladiators.  He  was  the  pride  of  the  Clintonians  in 
their  fight  with  the  Bucktails.  He  was  a  leader  in  the 
anti-Masonic  party.  He  was  a  Whig  who  served  and 
sacrificed  himself  with  Tyler.  Speaker  of  the  Assembly, 
Secretary  of  State  at  Albany,  Secretary  of  War  and  of 
the  Treasury  at  Washington,  several  times  a  candidate 
for  United  States  senator,  he  ranged  almost  the  whole 
gamut  of  political  honors.  He  was  not  preeminent  for 
his  Christian  forbearance,  as  appeared  when,  after  one 
of  Thurlow  Weed's  keen  rapier  attacks  on  Edwin  Cros- 
well  of  the  "  Argus,"  he  wrote  to  Weed  in  these  words : 
"  What  an  awful  rent  you  have  made  in  Neddy's  hypo- 
critical morality  cloak !  You  have  ungowned  him  more 
effectually  than  it  was  ever  done  before.  But  spare  him 
not.  He  deserves  no  mercy  at  your  hands  until  he  re- 
pents and  asks  forgiveness  of  his  sins."  Here  is  the 
smell  of  brimstone  and  the  glare  of  the  forked  flames  ! 
But  Weed,  thougli  long  the  friend  of  Spencer,  was  not 
blind  to  his  faults.  He  sought  in  vain  to  save  him  from 
allying  his  fortunes  with  Tyler,  and  in  his  autobiography 
gives  us  a  glimpse  of  his  judgment  when  he  speaks  of 


462  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Spencer's  "  political  eccentricity  of  character."  Seward 
reflected  the  same  opinion  when,  discussing  Spencer  for 
the  vice-presidency,  he  said  "  he  is  too  apt  to  go  off  on  a 
tangent."  But  however  mercurial  and  unrestrained,  he 
was  brilliant,  accomplished,  and  forceful,  and  has  left  an 
enduring  name  in  the  annals  of  the  State. 

The  classes  from  1815  to  1819  embraced  four  embryo 
United  States  senators  —  Nathaniel  P.  Tallmadge  of 
New  York ;  Richard  Stockton,  bearing  one  of  the  great 
names  of  New  Jersey ;  Sidney  Breese,  who  was  also 
Chief  Justice  of  Illinois ;  and  James  A.  Bayard,  of  Dela- 
ware, the  heir  and  transmitter  of  one  of  the  few  political 
dynasties  of  the  country,  himself  both  the  son  and  the 
father  of  a  senator.  Tallmadge,  though  a  Democrat,  was 
the  avowed  friend  of  the  Protective  policy.  When  Jack- 
son and  Van  Buren  forced  the  sub-treasury  scheme  he 
antagonized  the  administration.  These  facts  led  to  his 
reelection  by  the  Wliigs,  though  such  conspicuous  Whigs 
as  John  C.  Spencer  and  Millard  Fillmore  aspired  to  the 
place.  After  his  retirement  from  the  Senate  President 
Tyler  appointed  him  Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Wis- 
consin, and  Washington  Hunt  wrote :  "  All  things  con- 
sidered, I  do  not  regret  it,  except  that  I  feel  mortified  to 
see  him  take  a  commission  under  this  miserable  admin- 
istration "  —  a  little  touch  of  the  political  feeling  of  the 
time !  Bayard  served  in  the  Senate  nearly  twenty  years, 
from  1851  to  1870.  He  preserved  the  fame  of  the  father 
and  anticipated  the  eminence  of  the  son.  He  was  worthy 
of  the  name,  without  fear  and  without  reproach.  In 
1868,  upon  receiving  an  offer  of  stock  of  the  Credit  Mo- 
bilier  he  wrote  in  reply :  "  I  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
corporation  has  no  application  to  make  to  Congress  on 
which  I  should  be  called  to  act  officially,  as  I  could  not, 
consistently  with  my  views  of  duty,  vote  upon  a  question 
in  which  I  had  a  pecuniary  interest,"  Truly  a  worthy 
code  of  public  ethics. 


ADDRESS.  463 

The  years  which  traiuecl  Bayard  ripened  a  rich  and 
fruitful  harvest.  Dr.  Breckenridge  was  his  chissmate. 
Bisliop  Alonzo  Potter,  refined,  classic,  sedate,  was  one 
year  aliead  of  him.  One  year  behind  came  tlie  famous 
class  of  1820, —  Laurens  P.  Hickok,  with  his  profound 
and  ponderous  metaphysical  mind ;  Tayler  Lewis,  acute 
and  consummate  master  of  all  Gnn^k  lore  ;  William  Kent, 
son  of  the  great  chancellor  and  himself  a  jurist  of  high 
repute ;  and  that  fairest  of  all  the  flowers  of  Union,  Wil- 
liam Henry  Seward,  of  whom  more  further  on.  A  little 
later  there  was  Ira  Harris,  stately  and  majesti(*,  a  model 
law  master,  a  sound  judge  and  a  conscientious  senator; 
Charles  J.  Jenkins,  Chief  Justice  and  Governor  of  Georgia; 
and  Amasa  J.  Parker,  direct,  learned,  and  fon;ible.  The 
class  of  1826  was  a  brilliant  galaxy — well-beloved  Cap- 
tain Jack;  the  hearty,  practical  Amos  Dean;  the  versa- 
tile Judge  and  Comptroller  Allen ;  Thomas  Hun,  wise  in 
the  science  of  life;  the  finely-chiseled  and  scholarly 
Horatio  Potter;  the  courtly  Orlando  Meads;  and  well- 
esteemed  Horatio  Warner,  of  the  Warner  Prize.  Just  the 
year  after  followed  Preston  King,  a  good  man  who 
weighed  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  and  whose  great 
practical  sagacity  gave  him  additional  weight  in  the 
United  States  Senate;  Rufus  W.  Peckham,  no  brawn 
and  all  brain,  tall  in  form  and  towering  in  command,  not 
lymphatic  in  any  sense,  but  decidedly  emphatic  in  every 
sense;  and  Judge  William  W.  Campbell  whose  genial 
presence  is  well  remembered,  and  who  until  recent  years 
was  a  familiar  figure  at  these  commencements. 

Union  gathered  her  sons  from  all  sections,  and  they 
stand  for  all  creeds,  all  parties,  and  all  influences.  If  she 
is  glorified  by  those  who  dedicated  themselves  to  the  ser- 
vice of  liberty  and  the  defense  of  the  flag,  she  was  not 
without  representatives  on  the  other  side.  One  of  the 
most  picturesque  personalities  among  all  the  thousands 
that   have   gone  from   her  halls  was   Robert   Toombs. 


464  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Graduated  at  eighteen,  admitted  to  the  bar  at  twenty,  a 
captain  in  the  war  against  the  Creeks,  he  entered  the 
House  at  thirty-four  in  1844,  rose  to  the  Senate  in  1853, 
and  remained  to  champion  the  cause  of  the  South  in  par- 
liamentary struggle  till  he  went  out  to  fight  her  battles 
on  the  bloody  field.  Vehement  and  impetuous,  dogmatic 
and  intolerant,  extreme  in  opinion  and  eloquent  in  ex- 
pression, with  his  long  mane  and  his  leonine  look,  he  was 
the  very  Hotspur  of  slavery  and  secession.  It  was  in 
keeping  with  his  fiery  and  imaginative  temperament  to 
declare  that  he  would  call  the  roll  of  his  slaves  on  Bunker 
Hill.  But  for  a  mere  chance  he  might  have  been  Presi- 
dent of  the  Confederacy  instead  of  Jefferson  Davis.  Op- 
pugnant  and  recalcitrant  by  nature,  he  chafed  under  the 
leadership  even  of  his  own  cause,  and  retired  sullen  and 
intractable.  But  the  pathway  of  destiny  was  fixed ;  in 
Whittier's  phrase,  with  the  finger  of  the  Northern  star 
Abraham  Lincoln  wrote  freedom  o'er  the  land ;  the  tow- 
ering shaft  of  Bunker  Hill,  instead  of  being  stained  with 
slavery,  is  a  monument  to  universal  American  liberty ; 
and  a  fraternal  North  and  an  awakened  South  clasp 
hands  in  a  restored  and  regenerated  Union. 

For  many  years  the  politics  of  New  York  were  the 
Titanic  struggles  of  the  potent  Albany  Regency  and  its 
masterly  foes.  The  editor  of  the  "Argus"  was  Edwin 
Croswell,  chaste,  classic  and  careful,  revising,  refining, 
and  polishing  his  proofs  down  to  the  hour  of  going  to 
press.  Around  him  were  the  sinewy  Silas '  Wright,  the 
scholarly  John  A.  Dix,  the  hard-headed  Azariah  Flagg, 
and  the  virile  and  robust  William  L.  MnYcy,  who  was  a 
true  American  Secretary  of  State,  and  who  gave  the 
country  a  vigorous  and  patriotic  American  policy  such 
as  we  would  hail  with  satisfaction  to-day.  The  battle  of 
the  Whigs  was  fought  in  the  "Journal"  by  Thurlow 
Weed,  who,  in  contrast  with  the  ponderous,  heavy- 
mailed   Croswell,  was   preeminent  in   the   short,   sharp 


ADDRESS.  465 

vapier  thrust  that  pierccxi  tlie  weak  joint  in  the  urmoi-, 
and  unhorsed  his  antagonist  with  a  single  stroke.  Dif- 
ferent from  both  was  that  accomplished  son  of  Union, 
William  Cassidy,  who,  at  the  head  of  the  "  Atlas,"  com- 
pleted the  triumvirate  of  editoi'ial  combatants,  and  who 
was  the  free  lance  in  the  brilliant  tourney.  In  the  (con- 
flicts of  the  Hunkers  and  the  Barnburners,  of  the  Dough- 
faces and  the  Free  Soilers,  of  the  Hard  Shells  and  the 
Soft  Shells,  he  bore  the  shield  of  liberalism.  A  master 
of  literature,  he  was  peerless  in  his  attic  wit,  his  literary 
charm,  and  his  epigrammatic  force.  He  lived  to  mount 
the  tribune  of  his  old  rival  of  the  "  Argus,"  and  to  become 
the  oracle  of  a  new  Regency;  and  you  will  permit  one 
who  in  an  humble  way  was  sometimes  the  victim  of  his 
glittering  blade  to  drop  in  passing  a  little  flower  of  cher- 
ished memory's  admiring  tribute  upon  his  sacred  tomb. 
Time  would  fail  me  even  to  glance  at  the  clear-cut 
and  incisive  Clarkson  Potter,  the  rollicking  Pierson,  the 
reticent  and  sententious  Carpenter,  and  scores  of  others 
who  are  worthy  of  remembrance.  But  there  remains  the 
greatest  of  all.  William  H.  Seward  was  at  once  the  most 
conspicuous  and  the  most  characteristic  product  of 
Union.  He  was  a  favorite  of  Dr.  Nott ;  he  often  sought 
the  counsel  of  his  old  master;  and  he  embodied  and 
typified  the  teaching  which  the  patriarch  of  Union  im- 
pressed upon  his  sons.  In  the  galaxy  of  American  states- 
men Seward  was  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude.  He  was 
great  in  administration,  great  in  forensic  power,  great  in 
diplomacy,  great  in  speculative  insight  and  grasp,  great 
in  creative  and  constructive  statesmanship.  His  con- 
summate defense  of  the  poor  negro,  Freeman,  remains 
among  the  most  splendid  monuments  of  legal  exposition 
and  eloquence.  His  wonderful  series  of  speeches  in  the 
Northw^est  pointed  and  pictured  the  destiny  of  a  new 
empire.  His  mind  had  the  philosophic  quality  of  Jefl^er- 
son's,  united  with  a  parliamentary  power  which  Jefi^erson 
30 


466  UNION    COLLEGE. 

never  possessed.  He  could  soar  through  the  realms  of 
abstract  reason,  and  could  measure  methods  by  the  hard- 
est and  most  practical  tests.  Of  wider  sweep  and  less 
pragmatic  than  Sumner,  of  keener  intuitions  and  loftier 
range  than  Chase,  of  finer  mold  than  Wade  and  broader 
leadership  than  Hale,  he  was  facile  princeps  in  that  re- 
markable and  brilliant  group  of  anti-slavery  senators 
who  represented  and  quickened  the  awakened  conscience 
of  the  country  in  the  crucial  decade  before  the  war. 

Through  all  his  great  career  he  never  lost  his  attachment 
for  Union  and  for  Dr.  Nott.  His  famous  speech  declaring 
the  "  irrepressible  conflict "  between  freedom  and  slavery 
was  delivered  only  after  he  had  advised  with  his  old  pre- 
ceptor, so  that  it  may  fairly  be  said  the  voice  of  old  Union 
was  potentially  heard  in  that  crucial  trial  of  the  nation. 

Seward  was  as  distinctively  the  leader  of  his  party  as 
was  ever  Jefferson  or  Clay.  He  was  as  clearly  marked 
for  the  Presidency  by  the  right  of  primacy  as  was  ever 
Clay  or  Blaine.  But  his  fate  was  theirs,  and  hard  as  it 
seemed  at  the  time,  the  world  has  long  since  recognized 
a  Providence  in  it.  He  was  a  better  Moses  than  Joshua. 
His  contemplative  and  optimistic  philosophy,  which  some- 
times approached  the  visionary,  was  better  adapted  to 
lead  the  nation  up  to  the  inevitable  culmination  than  to 
lead  it  through  the  stupendous  crisis.  Destiny  deter- 
mined for  him  a  different  function  and  a  moderating 
association.  It  was  an  Omniscient  Hand  that  overruled 
parties  and  conventions,  and  guided  and  restrained  the 
sometimes  imaginative  and  illusory  visions  of  Seward  by 
the  more  untrained  statesmanship,  but  prophetic  insight 
and  almost  divine  wisdom,  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  And 
never  was  there  a  union  better  fitted  to  pilot  a  nation 
through  a  supreme  trial  than  that  which  combined  the 
masterly  dexterity  of  Seward  in  diplomacy  with  the 
serene  faith,  the  matchless  tact,  and  the  calm  supremacy 
of  Lincoln  over  all. 


ADDRESS.  4()7 

Union  gave  a  President  to  the  Republic  in  Chester  A, 
Arthur.  He  had  been  a  master  in  practical  politics  — 
too  exclusively  a  master,  some  thought,  when  under  cii-- 
cumstances  more  distressing  to  his  sensitive  nature  than 
to  any  other,  he  was  suddenly  summoned  to  the  highest 
place  in  the  nation.  It'  there  had  been  misgivings  and 
doubts  they  speedily  vanished,  and  in  the  party  chieftain 
who  had  been  especially  associated  in  the  public  mind 
with  the  violent  contentions  of  New  York,  the  country 
soon  came  to  recognize  a  most  captivating  gentleman,  a 
most  chivalrous  and  lovely  spirit,  and  a  most  accom- 
plished and  conscientious  ruler.  He  won  over  a  critical 
sentiment,  and,  through  his  dignified,  manly,  and  heroic 
service,  he  left  a  fragrant  memory  which  is  embalmed  in 
a  new  appreciation. 

I  have  not  thought  to  dwell  upon  the  living ;  but  in 
this  presence,  without  wishing  to  be  invidious,  I  cannot 
forbear  a  passing  word  upon  the  versatile  McElroy, 
who  careers  with  equal  skill  from  politics  to  poetry ;  upon 
the  clear-headed  Thayer,  who  served  with  distinction  as 
Minister  to  Holland ;  and  upon  the  sagacious  and  coui-- 
ageous  Warner  Miller,  whose  strong  judgment  and  vigor- 
ous leadership  have  been  an  inspiration  to  sound  politics 
in  New  York.  It  is  for  the  living  to  emulate  the  example 
and  perpetuate  the  fame  of  the  dead.  Union  has  a  noble 
history  and  glorious  traditions.  If  she  has  had  some 
shadows,  her  career  is  gilded  with  splendors.  Crowned 
with  a  hrmdred  years  of  lustrous  service,  her  sons  and 
friends  have  gathered  on  this  centennial  anniversaiy  to 
honor  and  revere  her.  As  they  gain  new  zeal  and  inspir- 
ation from  this  return  to  the  venerable  halls  of  Alma 
Mater,  so  may  she  derive  fresh  strength  and  impulse  from 
their  enkindling  presence;  and  in  the  new  consecration 
and  influences  of  this  historic  occasion,  may  she  look 
forward  to  a  long  and  bright  future  which  shall  be  worthy 
of  her  illustrious  past. 


COMMENCEMENT   DAY. 


30* 


The  commencement  exercises  of  the  class  of  1895,  held  in  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church,  were  immediately  followed  by  the  University  Celebration. 
In  the  evening  a  reception  was  given  at  the  President's  house.  The  com- 
mencement ball  in  the  Memorial  Building  closed  the  festivities  of  the  day. 


THURSDAY,   JUNE   TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

41m\)crsttp  Celebration. 
ADDRESS 

BY   REV.  ELIPHALET  NOTT  POTTER,  D.  D.,   LL.  D. 

President  of  Uohart  College. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Gentlemen  of  the  Coii^oration, 
the  Faculty,  the  Alumui  and  their  Guests,  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen:  My  chosen  privilege  and  appointed 
duty  on  this  happy  day  is  merely  informal  and  introduc- 
tory. Invited  to  the  Chancellorship  and  also  (as  your 
Centennial  Chairman  wrote  to  Hobart  College)  to  "any 
Centennial  title  or  position  "  I  would  "  consent  to  accept," 
previous  engagements  permit  me  only  to  preside  on  this 
occasion,  as  "Founder  of  Union  University." 

Your  Centennial  orator  holding  with  me  that  compli- 
mentary remarks  customary  on  such  occasions  may  be 
omitted,  especially  as  between  brothers,  it  is,  in  view  of 
the  "  Episcopal  injunction  of  personalities,"  a  happy  fact 
that  the  Bishop  of  New  York  needs  no  introduction  in 
the  city  or  State  of  New  York,  or  in  the  United  States ; 
and  indeed,  as  I  was  lately  reminded  by  an  authority  on 
the  other  side  of  the  water,  he  needs  no  introduction 
abroad,  and  certainly  none  therefore  at  home. 


472  UNION    COLLEGE. 

In  the  old  days,  when  we  nine  brothers  looked  out  over 
the  college  parapet  from  time  to  time,  and  from  the  house 
of  our  father,  Alonzo  Potter,  one  of  your  vice-presidents, 
or  from  the  neighboring  home  of  our  grandfather,  Eli- 
phalet  Nott,  one  of  your  presidents,  some  of  us  swarmed 
into  the  town  below,  we  boys  found  that  old  Schenectady 
was  called  "  Dorp,"  while  in  the  good,  old-fashioned  fa- 
miliarity of  the  day  they  spoke  of  Henry  as  Hank. 

Presenting  the  Rt.  Rev.  Henry,  of  New  York,  to  this 
enlightened  audience,  it  is  satisfactory  in  an  age  of  doubt 
to  find  as  a  firm  foundation,  a  rock  of  certainty  like  the 
fact  that  no  introduction  is  needed  between  "Dorp"  and 
"Hank  "Potter. 

I  come  from  Hobart  College  bearing  salutations.  And 
as  those  who  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  been  the 
instructors  of  distinguished  men  have  tended  to  take  to 
themselves  credit  for  the  achievements  of  their  students 
and  to  claim  a  share  of  their  success,  so  to-day  in  some 
measure  this  privilege  may  be  mine  as  I  salute  you,  Presi- 
dent Raymond,  as  my  former  pupil  as  well  as  my  connec- 
tion by  marriage  and,  as  your  letter  of  invitation  reiter- 
ates, my  "  friend." 

Hobart  in  her  70th  year  saluting  Union  at  her  Centen- 
nial, adds  greetings  all  the  more  cordial,  because  Union 
seems  to  have  been  the  quarry  where  Hobart  has  sought 
Presidents.  Looking  lately  into  her  records  for  the  first 
president  there  named,  I  discovered  (so  surely  did  they 
count  on  his  acceptance  and  his  coming  to  the  lovely 
lake-side  collegiate  home  awaiting  him  in  Geneva)  that 
the  first  to  be  called  "president"  in  Hobart  College 
records  was  your  vice-president,  Alonzo  Potter.  Family 
ties  here  were  too  strong  to  permit  his  retirement  at  that 
time  from  Union  College.  But  I  find  something  to  the 
same  effect  with  regard  to  my  brother,  the  Bishop  of  New 
York;  at  least  he  is  one  of  Hobart's  and  of  your  chan- 
cellors ;  and  among  others  called  to  Hobart's  presidency 


ADDRESS.  473 

was  your  gifted  alumnus,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Littlcjohn. 
The  Rt.  Rev.  Horatio  Potter  too,  another  distinguished 
Union  man,  was  called,  and  wrote  proposing  to  accept 
the  presidency  of  Hobart  provided  they  could  await  the 
expiration  of  his  previous  engagements.  And,  as  show- 
ing further  appreciation  of  Hobart's  continued  relations 
to  Union,  one  who  became  president  there  and  has  at- 
tained eminence  as  a  Union  alumnus,  Rev.  Dr.  Rankine, 
has  joined  the  loyal  pilgrimage  to  this  centennial  shrine. 
In  that  family,  by  a  reversed  law  of  heredity,  the  beauty 
of  the  mother  ascends  from  the  sons  to  the  father,  so 
that  after  half  a  century.  Dean  Rankine  returning  is  as 
ruddy  as  his  boys ;  Rankines  have  been  both  Union  and 
Hobart  men,  and  one  of  them  calling  on  me  in  Geneva 
last  week  informed  me  that  his  father  had  gone  down  to 
Union  "  to  celebrate."  When  I  discovered  yesterday  that 
he  was  not  at  our  Hobart  commencement  although  head 
of  our  Divinity  School,  and  heard  the  remark,  "  Dr.  Ran- 
kine is  still  celebrating  at  Union,"  you  may  imagine  my 
solicitude.  If  present  to-day  will  he  not  rise  and,  as  I 
must  in  a  moment  return  to  duties  at  home,  send  by  me 
assurances  of  his  welfare  to  his  waiting  people  and  de- 
voted Divinity  School  f 

If  something  more  serious  is  called  for  as  appropriate 
to  this  occasion,  one  of  Union's  alumni  suggests  for 
mention  the  happy  fact  that  in  opening,  yesterday,  Ho- 
bart's Memorial  Library  Building  (fire-proof  and  free  from 
debt)  in  commemoration  of  the  70th  anniversary  of  the 
college,  we  were,  in  addition  to  other  gifts  and  perma- 
nent funds,  enabled  to  announce  a  further  gift  connected 
with  the  Library  Building  of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars 
as  an  endowment  for  its  maintenance.  So  seldom  com- 
paratively can  we  secure  such  guarantee  funds,  that  this 
is  mentioned  not  only  as  an  example  but  as  an  encourage- 
ment to  those  devoted  to  the  arduous  duty  of  placing 
educational  institutions  on  permanent  foundations. 


474  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Your  Ceuteiiiiial  orator,  who  addressed  us  eloquently 
at  Hobart  College  yesterday,  enjoyed  before  we  were  hur- 
ried thence  to  perform  our  appointed  parts  here,  the  good 
cheer  provided  by  one  of  my  household  who  helped  to 
prepare  half  a  century  ago  Union's  semi-centennial  ban- 
quet. It  seems  that  whole  burnt  offerings  made  part 
then  of  Union's  sacrifices  and  feasts,  for  the  tradition 
I  understand  is  endorsed  by  Moses  Viney,  whom  we  re- 
joice to  see  serving  your  president  to-day.  President 
Nott  having  secured  freedom  for  Moses  in  the  old  slavery 
days,  Moses  served  faithfully  and  was  used  by  the  presi- 
dent to  point  many  a  lesson  and  adorn  many  an  instruc- 
tive tale,  as  your  thronging  alumni  will  remember.  I 
doubt  if  Union's  alumni  fare  better  at  this  centennial 
feast  than  when,  half  a  century  ago,  Jane  Lamey,  the 
celebrated  chef  a  la  mode  to  whom  I  referred  above,  and 
others  prepared  for  Union's  semi-centennial  repast  the 
above  indicated  sacrifices  (if  pagan,  none  the  less  tooth- 
some); for,  as  I  am  informed,  the  following  adorned  that 
hospitable  board  of  fifty  years  ago :  thirty  rounds  of  beef, 
thirty  quarters  of  lamb,  twenty-two  pieces  a  la  mode, 
twenty-five  hams,  eighty  chickens,  and  lemonade,  etc., 
"  ad  infinitum,"  as  the  erudite  mathematician  of  that  day 
boldly  added. 

I  not  only  bring  from  Hobart  College  greetings,  but 
congratulations  upon  Union's  successes.  That  exquisite 
modesty  that  characterizes  all  Union  men,  that  shrinking 
from  publicity,  is  such  that  if  many  of  us  have  filled 
places  of  some  prominence,  it  is  because  greatness  has 
been  so  thrust  upon  us  that  we  have  been  pushed  into 
them,  and  not,  as  outsiders  have  proclaimed,  because 
"  Union  men  are  so  pushing."  Despite  such  maiden-like 
modesty,  although  co-education  is  as  yet  unknown  among 
us.  Union's  successes,  if  unmentionable  because  of  hu- 
mility, are  unmistakable  because  of  conspicuity.  Be  it 
mine  to  recall  them  on  a  future  occasion,  should  the 


ADDRESS.  475 

illustrious  chairman  of  your  committee,  Judge  Landon, 
kindly  see  to  it,  as  now,  that  in  seeking  to  bring  here 
every  alumnus,  the  committee  again  recall  me.  Then, 
as  has  been  intimated  to  me  this  morning,  if  the  gild«'(] 
undergraduate  of  that  day  exclaims  at  my  aj)pearance, 
"Who  is  that  ancient  individual  representing  Hobart?" 
the  reply  may  be,  "  Only  Hank  Potter's  younger  brother 
Liph,  wlio  as  a  l)oy  made  mud  pies  on  College  Hill,  which 
later  crystallized,  one  into  the  long  prophesied  central 
Alumni  and  Memorial  Hall,  and  others  into  the  build- 
ings and  funds  back  of  it." 

Gentlemen,  Hobart  College  is  also  celebrating  and  com- 
pletes the  commemoration  of  her  seventieth  year — rather 
a  large  contract  for  a  small  college ;  which,  however,  in 
educational  value,  equals  a  "  big  thing,"  we  believe,  if  all 
good  work  and  results  are  duly  estimated.  With  the 
cordial  concurrence  of  the  faculty  and  as  a  matter  of 
inter-collegiate  courtesy,  Hobart  at  Union's  centennial 
request  has  changed  the  day  of  commencement  that  I 
might  be  enabled  to  participate,  as  I  now  gladly  do,  in  this 
culmination  of  your  collegiate  and  university  celebration. 

Arriving  and  cordially  welcomed  at  midnight,  I  regi*et 
that  previous  engagements  so  promptly  recall  me;  for 
thus  I  am  estopped  from  taking  by  the  hand  those  with 
whom  I  have  been  in  times  past  associated  here;  and 
joining  in  joyous  reunions  with  pupils,  classmates,  and 
college-mates,  including  the  rosy-cheeked  boy  of  long 
ago,  distinguished  among  Smiths,  and  notably  for  his 
oration  here,  and  yet  another  who  has  just  favored  you, 
your  poet  well  known  in  editorial  circles,  and  still  others 
useful  and  illustrious  in  church  and  State ;  while  held  in 
cherished  memory  also  are  those  once  with  us  "  sed  nunc 
ad  astra."  I  regret  that  I  may  not  meet  face  to  face  all 
going  to  your  Centennial  and  join  in  your  heartiest  Union 
cheer  and  utter  personally  all  best  wishes  for  all  of 
Union's  sons  and  friends. 


476  UNION    COLLEGE. 

As  the  long  line  of  Union's  illuniinati  is  recalled,  there 
rises  unbidden  to  your  hearts  and  lips  lines  like  those  of 
the  sublime  Hebrew  seer.  Dr.  Alexander  and  others  of 
the  clergy  and  laity  recognize  them  as  I  repeat  them 
in  the  Hebrew;  for  as  "face  answereth  face  in  a  glass," 
so  the  true  Union  alumnus  conforms  to  that  character 
present  to  the  inspired  heart  of  him  who  said,  "  Quit 
yourselves  like  men;  be  strong." 

It  remains  but  for  me  to  utter  brief  words  —  not  of  an 
introduction  which  is  unnecessary  —  but  of  heartfelt  as- 
piration :  Union  College  and  Union  University,  one  and 
inseparable,  now  and  forever.  For  the  coming  century 
and  for  all  the  centuries  to  come,  may  all  best  blessings 
rest  upon  "  Old  Union." 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION 

BY  THE  RIGHT  REV.  HENRY  C.  POTTER,  D.  D.  LL.  D, 

Bishop  of  Xew  York  and  Honorary  Chancellor  of  the  Fnirersifi/. 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, and  Faculty  of  Union  College,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen  :  I  recognize  —  I  say  it  with  sincere  gratifica- 
tion—  that  it  has  come  to  be  the  tradition  of  this  college 
that  a  collegiate  costume  shall  be  associated  with  the 
exercises  of  such  occasions  as  this.  The  example  set  by 
yourselves,  gentlemen  of  the  graduating  class,  by  the 
president  of  the  college,  and  by  my  brother  who  has  just 
preceded  me,^  would  seem  to  make  it  proper  that  I  should 
inflict  upon  myself  this  added  instrument  of  torture,  the 
cap,  in  connection  with  what  I  am  about  to  say.  I  think 
you  will  agree  with  me,  however,  that  when  on  this 
tropical  summer  day,  bowing  to  the  supreme  authority 
of  this  college,  its  president,  I  have  endued  myself  with 
robes  which  belong  rather  to  a  midwintry  season,  I  may 
be  excused  from  the  additional  discomfort  of  wearing,  at 
least  while  I  speak  to  you,  an  Oxford  cap.  [Laughter 
and  applause.] 
Mr.  President,  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 

1  The  graduating  class  and  the  president  of  the  college,  as  also  President 
Potter,  of  Hobart  College,  wore  college  caps  and  gowns.  Bishop  Potter  was 
himself  vested  with  the  scarlet  robe  and  velvet  cap  of  a  Doctor  of  Divinity 
of  the  University  of  Oxford. 

477 


478  UNION    COLLEGE. 

GeDtlemen  of  the  Faculties,  Graduates  and  Undergradu- 
ates, Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  Fifty  years  ago  an  alumnus 
and  professor  of  Union  College,  speaking  here  in  com- 
memoration of  its  first  completed  half-century,  uttered 
these  words : 

"Standing,  this  morning,  midway  between  the  opening  and  the 
close  of  the  first  century  of  our  collegiate  history,  we  feel  most 
vividly  the  power  which  we  have  of  translating  ourselves  into 
different  periods  of  time  —  of  multiplying,  as  it  were,  our  terms 
of  life.  With  our  venerable  brother"  [the  speaker  was  refer- 
ring to  the  Rev.  Joseph  Sweetman,  the  first  and,  at  that  time, 
the  oldest  living  graduate  of  Union  College,  who  had  immedi- 
ately preceded  him  as  one  of  the  orators  of  the  day]  "  we  have 
gone  back  to  the  feeble  beginnings  of  our  college.  We  have 
trem1)led  at  the  dangers  and  have  sympathized  with  the  toils  aud 
trials  of  those  who,  through  God's  good  hand,  were  enabled  to 
bring  it  into  life.  We  turn  in  thought  to  the  young  men  who 
are  here  to-day,  as  he  was  here  fifty  years  ago, —  undergraduates, 
full  of  youth,  and  health,  and  hope.  We  go  forward  with  them 
as  they  leave  these  halls ;  as  they  do  battle  with  the  trials  and 
temptations  of  life;  as  they  fall,  one  after  another,  by  the  way  ; 
till  a  small  remnant,  weary  and  wayworn,  with  bended  forms 
and  silvered  locks,  they  come  up  again  at  the  expiration  of  an- 
other fifty  years,  to  the  great  Centennial  Jubilee  ;  and  we  mingle 
with  them  as  they  join  the  throngs  which  shall  then  crowd  these 
portals  and  pour  along  these  streets.  Thus,  in  the  oldest  and 
youngest  of  our  family,  do  we  seem  to  see  one  hundred  years  of 
college  life,  with  all  its  manifold  vicissitudes,  brought  within  the 
compass  of  the  present  hour.  We  seem  to  stand  at  a  great 
cross-road  in  the  journey  of  life,  where  travelers  come  from 
different  and  opposite  quarters ;  some  rushing  forward  to  assume 
the  burdens  and  labors  of  the  way,  others  advanciug  with  slow 
and  feeble  step  to  lay  them  down.  Greetings  are  exchanged,  re- 
ports are  made,  hopes  and  fears  are  uttered,  and  the  crowd  dis- 
perses, to  lose  itself  amid  the  unnumbered  multitudes  that  throng 
life's  ways.i 

1 "  Semi-centennial  discourse  of  the  Rev.  Alonzo  Potter,  D.  D.,  Professor  of 
Moral  Philosopby  in  Union  College  and  Bishop-elect  of  Pennsylvania,"  page  2. 


CENTENNIAL    OllATION.  47!) 

The  speaker  who  uttered  these  words,  then  in  the 
prime  of  his  strong  and  stately  manhood,  has  long  since 
fallen  asleep,  and  the  venerable  president  and  tlie  asso- 
ciates and  contemporaries  who  then  surrounded  him 
liave,  with  a  single  exception,  vanished  one  and  all  fi-om 
this  theater  of  their  common  endeavors.  The  great  Cen- 
tennial Jubilee  which  he  then  beheld  afar  has  dawned, 
and  children,  and  children's  children  then  unborn,  are 
here  to-day  to  keep  it. 

As  they  gather  for  this  greater  festival  one  thought 
must  first  engross  them.  We  talk  of  the  mutcitions  of 
time,  and,  in  a  country  still  young  and  ))ut  imperfectly  de- 
veloped like  our  own,  those  changes  perpetually  challenge 
us.  As  in  the  history  of  civilization  we  have  the  wooden 
age,  the  stone  age,  and  the  iron  age,  so  in  the  history  of 
a  community  or  a  college  fifty  years  may  not  f)ass  with- 
out bringing  with  them,  preeminently  in  a  generation  so 
energetic  and  creative  as  our  own,  those  external  trans- 
formations— structural,  mechanical,  aesthetic,  and  artistic 
— of  which  the  last  fifty  years  have  been  so  full.  We  en- 
counter them  here  to-day,  as  we  meet  them  all  over  the 
land.  The  Schenectady  of  this  morning  with  its  me- 
chanical industries,  with  its  vast  network  of  steam  com- 
munications, with  its  altered  modes  of  living,  is  not  the 
slumbrous  Dutch  survival  which  some  among  us  remem- 
ber so  vividly  fifty  years  ago.  But  when  we  ascend  to 
yonder  hill  and,  passing  the  portals  of  the  historic  "  blue 
gate,"  advance  to  the  college  cmnpus,  no  change  in  the 
group  of  buildings  that  we  discover  can  alter  the  identity 
of  that  wider  outlook,  so  rare  and  beautiful  in  the  charm 
of  its  expanse,  and  in  the  picturesqueness  and  variety  of 
its  lovely  landscape,  which  then  salutes  us.  Nature  in  its 
steadfast  and  immutable  characteristics  still  remains  — 
the  silver  thread  of  the  winding  Mohawk,  the  l)reak  in  the 
distant  hills,  where,  long  ago,  the  sun  sank  to  rest,  just 
as  it  sets  to-day,  the  corn  standing  so  thick  in  the  valley 


480  UNION    COLLEGE. 

that,  ill  the  words  of  the  Psahnist  it  seems  to  "laugh 
and  sing  " ;  all  these  are  there,  and  as  the  thick-thronging 
memories  that  they  awaken  come  crowding  back  upon 
us,  once  more  we  are  young  and  blithe  again,  and  the 
future  lies  at  our  feet. 

I  am  not  sure  that  it  would  be  well  for  us  if  it  did,  or 
that  if  one  who  has  come  here  to-day  with  his  half  cen- 
tury of  memories  could  by  some  magic  make  himself 
young  again,  and  take  his  place  with  those  who  will  this 
morning  go  forth  from  their  alma  mater  to  face  the  con- 
flicts of  the  world,  he  would  find  himself  equal  to  his 
tasks  or  happy  in  his  surroundings.  For  no  sooner  are  we 
sensible,  here  or  elsewhere,  of  the  permanence  of  nature, 
than  we  are  constrained  to  remember  the  inevitable  and 
tremendous  transformations  of  circumstances.  This  is  a 
centennial  anniversary,  and  our  retrospect  this  morning 
carries  us  back  not  fifty  merely,  but  one  hundred  years. 
A  century  ago !  Do  we  realize  what  was  the  Republic  of 
1795,  and  how  vastly  it  differed  from  the  Republic  of 
1895 1  Less  than  a  decade,  then,  had  passed  since  our 
country  had  achieved  its  independence.  Less  than  twenty 
years  had  then  elapsed  since  these  American  seaboard 
States  (there  were  then  none  others)  were  colonies  of 
Great  Britain.  A  sparsely-settled  country,  a  people  of 
narrow  means  and  meager  resources  of  every  kind,  a  life 
that  forbade  leisure  and  equally  forbade  luxury,  a  long, 
hard  struggle,  in  the  vast  majority  of  instances,  just  to 
survive  the  hardships  and  privations  of  a  new  country, 
communities  almost  wholly  without  roads,  or  cities,  or 
libraries,  or  arts,  or  manufactures,  or  commerce, —  social 
and  domestic  conditions  often  so  primitive  and  elementary 
that,  if  we  were  to  reproduce  them  to-day,  they  would  seem 
all  but  unendurable  to  the  softer  manners  of  our  more  luxu- 
rious age, —  these  were  the  conditions  from  amid  which  the 
youth  of  1795  turned  their  faces  toward  this  home  of  learn- 
ing, and  sought  for  the  equipment  which  it  offered  them. 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION.  4Sl 

And  just  because  it  was  so,  it  would  not  have  been 
strange  if  the  culture  which  liere  was  offered  to  them 
liad  taken  on  the  charact(U"istics  wliich  those  inore  ]»viini- 
tive  times  seemed  so  imperatively  to  demand.  If,  instead 
of  the  ordinary  curriculum  of  a  college,  as  we  are  wont  to 
think  of  it,  its  classical  and  literary,  as  well  as  its  mathe- 
matical and  scientific  training,  the  Union  College  of  a  cen- 
tur\'  ago  had  set  to  work  to  teach  its  undergraduates  how 
to  plow  and  sow^  and  reap ;  how  to  build  fences  and  bridges 
and  roads ;  how  to  make  tools  and  use  them  ;  how  to  rear 
mills  and  run  them ;  how  to  create  traffic  and  promote  it 
—  how  clever  such  a  method  would  have  seemed  to  the 
men  of  this  day,  however  it  may  have  appeared  to  its 
contemporaries.  It  is,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  glory  of 
your  alma  mater,  sons  of  Union  College,  that  it  did  not ! 
I  do  not  know  how  it  may  appear  to  others,  but  there 
must  surely  be,  to  one  who  looks  at  it  in  its  wider  signifi- 
cance, something  singularly  noble  in  the  spectacle  of 
those  few  men  who  organized  this  college,  and,  in  the 
midst  of  conditions  as  hard  and  incongruous  as  those 
which  I  have  described,  set  it  to  teaching  that  "  polite 
learning,"  as  it  was  then  called,  which  so  wisely  included 
not  alone  the  mechanic  arts,  the  physical  sciences,  and 
those  other  branches  of  learning  which  are  directly  con- 
nected with  the  material  conditions  under  which  men 
earn  their  bread,  but  always,  along  with  these,  those 
higher  branches  of  learning  wliich  unsealed  the  realm 
of  letters  which  bridged  the  intervening  centuries  be- 
tween the  Republic  of  America  and  the  Republic  of 
Greece,  and  which  gave  to  human  life  the  charm  and 
beauty  of  art  and  poetry  and  literature.  They  saw,  those 
men  of  the  elder  times,  with  a  fine  and  unerring  percep- 
tion, that  life  is  always  tending,  just  because  of  the  in- 
exorable and  ever-recurring  wants  of  the  body,  to  become 
sordid  and  unaspiring  and  material,  and  therefore,  over 
against  the  pressure  of  its  lower  needs  they  would  fain 
31 


482  UNION    COLLEGE. 

set  the  temple  of  a  loftier  ideal,  and  fill  it  with  the 
images  of  the  great  and  good  of  every  age.  It  may 
never  have  occurred  to  you  to  consider  the  fact,  but  cer- 
tainly it  has  in  it  a  profound  significance,  that  in  an  age 
when,  far  more  than  in  our  own,  with  its  ampler  resources 
and  its  larger  leisure,  other  knowledge  than  the  know- 
ledge how  to  get  bread  out  of  the  ground,  or  ore  out  of  a 
mine,  was  not  the  primary  want,  such  knowledge  did 
not  seem  to  the  founders  of  this  college  a  stupid  imperti- 
nence. A  friend  sent  me  the  other  day  a  copy  of  the 
oration  delivered  by  the  Valedictorian  of  his  class  on  the 
fi.rst  commencement  day  of  this  college,  just  ninety-nine 
years  ago.  I  wish  the  limits  of  this  occasion  permitted 
me  to  quote  from  its  lofty  and  eloquent  periods.  From 
exordium  to  peroration  they  were  distinguished  by  a 
felicity  of  phrase  and  an  aptness  of  classical  allusion 
that  showed  a  study  of  great  models  and  a  style  instinct 
with  the  best  learning.  And  yet  the  men  who  graduated 
then,  oftener  than  otherwise,  took  away  such  fine  culture 
as  they  acquired  here  to  scenes  and  tasks  which  were 
most  unfriendly  to  it.  Unless  they  could  prize  it  for  its 
own  sake,  it  served  them  at  best  but  poorly.  But  they 
did  prize  it  for  its  own  sake,  even  as  for  its  own  sake 
they  had  first  of  all  come  to  seek  it ! 

The  contrast  which  salutes  us  to-day  is  at  once  curious 
and  paradoxical.  The  century  that  has  passed  since  this 
college  was  founded  has  produced  undreamed-of  changes 
in  our  whole  social  situation.  One  single  illustration  of 
this,  which  touches  directly  the  conditions  of  college  life, 
will  answer  as  well  as  an  hundred.  A  century  ago  the 
average  annual  expenditure  of  an  undergraduate  in  col- 
lege was,  I  apprehend,  rather  under  than  over  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars.  To-day  —  at  any  rate  in  the 
greater  colleges  —  it  is,  I  apprehend,  much  nearer  one 
thousand  dollars ;  and  there  are  large  numbers  of  under- 
graduates whose  annual  expenditure  is  more  than  twice 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION.  483 

as  uuK'li  as  this.  Now,  when  we  have  made  all  p()ssil)le 
allowance  for  the  difference  between  then  and  now  in 
the  purchasing  power  of  money,  the  fact  still  remains 
that  such  an  increase  implies  a  vast  increase  in  the 
wealth  of  the  constituencies  which  are  represented  in 
our  college.  As  to  this,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  can  be 
no  doubt ;  and  it  would  seem  as  if  such  a  change  ought 
to  have  brought  with  it  a  wider  and  more  general  esteem 
for  those  departments  of  learning  which  are  the  especial 
distinction  of  nations  in  a  high  state  of  civilization  and 
prosperity,  with  vast  resources  and  a  constantly  increas- 
ing cultivated  class.  But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  present 
tendency  in  colleges  seems  to  be  in  quite  an  opposite  di- 
rection. More  and  more  is  it  coming  to  be  accepted  as 
an  academic  tradition,  so  to  speak,  that  a  man  may  take 
a  degree  as  Bachelor  of  Arts  without  having  acquired 
even  an  elementary  knowledge  of  the  two  great  languages 
which,  more  than  any  others,  contain  the  choicest  literary 
treasures  of  the  world  ;  and  this  change  has  come  to  pass, 
more  largely  than  for  any  other  reason,  because  such 
knowledge  is  claimed  to  be  of  very  secondary  value,  if  of 
any,  in  the  practical  business  of  our  modern  life. 

I  may  not  argue  that  question  here,  open  though  it 
most  surely  is  to  argument ;  but  it  suggests  another  with 
which  such  an  anniversary  as  this  is  preeminently  con- 
cerned. We  have  come  to-day  to  a  point  in  the  history 
of  this  college  when  we  may  wisely  pause  and  "  look  be- 
fore and  after."  A  hundred  years  of  collegiate  life  —  to 
what  are  they  the  witnesses, —  of  what  are  they  the 
prophecy  f  There  is  a  conception  of  such  an  institution 
as  this,  which  is  at  once  prevalent  and  popular,  but 
which,  as  I  conceive,  falls  far  below  its  highest  use  and 
purpose.  A  college,  we  are  told,  is  a  place  where  men 
acquire  certain  branches  of  higher  learning,  and  store 
their  minds  with  certain  phrases  and  formula'  which  will  be 
of  use  to  them  in  the  various  businesses  of  life.    I  just  as 


484  UNION    COLLEGE. 

in  a  school  of  pharmacy  the  pupil  learns  of  certain  sub- 
stances, their  properties,  proportions,  and  relations  in 
combination  with  each  other,  out  of  which  come  certain 
remedial  agencies  used  in  the  science  of  therapeutics, 
so  in  a  college  words,  signs,  facts  are  to  be  stored  away 
in  the  mind,  and  taken  down  from  time  to  time  from 
their  shelves,  as  the  occasion  may  require,  for  practical 
service.  That  this  description  of  a  widely  prevalent 
conception  of  the  office  of  a  college  is  not  a  purely  im- 
aginary one  is  strikingly  confirmed  by  a  passage  in 
Schopenhauer's  essay  "On  Men  of  Learning,"  which 
some  of  you  will  doubtless  recognize,  "When,"  he  says, 
"  one  sees  the  number  and  variety  of  institutions  which 
exist  for  the  purpose  of  education,  and  the  vast  throng 
of  scholars  and  masters,  one  might  fancy  the  human  race 
to  be  very  much  concerned  about  truth  and  ivisdom.  But 
here,  too,  appearances  are  deceptive.  .  .  .  Students  and 
learned  persons  of  all  sorts  aim,  as  a  rule,  at  acquiring  in- 
formation rather  than  insight.  They  pique  themselves 
about  knowing  about  everything, —  stones,  plants,  battles, 
experiments,  and  all  the  books  in  existence.  It  never 
occurs  to  them  that  information  is  only  a  means  of  in- 
sight, and  in  itself  of  little  or  no  value ;  that  it  is  his  way 
of  thinking  that  makes  a  man  a  philosopher.  When  I 
hear  of  these  portents  of  learning,  and  their  imposing 
erudition,  I  sometimes  say  to  myself,  '  Ah,  how  little 
they  must  have  had  to  think  about  to  be  able  to  read  so 
much.'  And  when  I  actually  find  that  it  is  reported  of 
the  elder  Pliny  that  he  was  continually  reading,  or  being 
read  to,  at  table,  on  a  journey,  or  in  his  bath,  the  ques- 
tion forces  itself  upon  my  mind  whether  the  man  was  so 
very  lacking  in  thought  that  he  had  to  have  others' 
thought  incessantly  instilled  into  him,  as  though  he  were 
a  consumptive  patient  taking  jellies  to  keep  himself 
alive !  And  neither  his  undiscerning  credulity  nor  his 
inexpressibly  repulsive  style,  which  seems  like  that  of  a 


CENTENNIAL   OIUTION.  4S5 

mail  taking  notes  and  very  economical  of  liis  pai)cr,  are 
of  a  kind  to  give  me  a  high  estimate  of  his  power  of  in- 
dependent thought." ' 

There  may  be  two  opinions  about  Schopenhauer's 
judgment  concerning  the  style  and  the  substance  of 
Pliny,  but  there  can  be  only  one  as  to  the  eternal  dis- 
tinction between  the  two  types  of  students  and  scholars 
of  which  Pliny  was  plainly  one.  That  distinction  which 
Frederick  Maurice  somewhere  makes  between  acquisition 
and  illnmifuition  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  learning, 
and  inevitably  determines  its  character.  There  is  a  learn- 
ing which  is  simply  an  accumulation  of  various  and,  it 
may  easily  be,  curious,  and  recondite,  and  hardly-won 
information.  It  is  of  such  learning  that  Schopenhauer 
elsewhere  says  "the  wig"  [the  old,  full-bottomed,  curled 
and  beribboned  wig  he  means,  such  as  judges  and 
bishops  wore  a  century  ago],  "is  the  appropriate  symbol 
of  the  man  of  learning,  pure  and  simple.  It  adorns  the 
head  with  a  copious  quantity  of  false  hair,  in  lack  of 
one's  own,  just  as  erudition  means  endowing  it  with  a 
great  mass  of  alien  thought."'-  The  figure  is  grotesque, 
perhaps,  but  the  idea  behind  it  is  undisputably  true. 
The  scholar,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term,  is  one  to 
whom  an  accumulation  of  learning  is  not  simply  the  stor- 
ing of  his  reservoirs,  but  accumulation  for  the  quickening 
of  thought  and  for  the  large  and  beneficent  activities  of 
daily  service.  And  the  nature  of  that  service,  and  the 
character  of  its  influence,  will  be  largely  determined  by 
the  spirit  in  which  the  student  acquires  his  learning,  and 
the  use  which  he  aims  to  make  of  it. 

Let  us  try  and  understand  ourselves  here,  and  that  we 
may  do  so,  let  me  try  and  state  as  clearly  as  I  may  the 
situation  as  it  confronts  us.  There  are  between  sixty 
and  seventy  millions  of  people  in  this  land  to-day,  and 

1  "  On  Men  of  Learning,"  p.  51. 

2  "  The  Art  of  Literature,"  pages  49,  50. 

31* 


486  UNION    COLLEGE. 

of  these  I  presume  it  would  be  quite  safe  to  say  that  not 
five  ill  five  hundred  are,  or  ever  will  be,  college  grad- 
uates. A  much  larger  proportion  of  them  will  undoubt- 
edly have  had  the  rudiments  of  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  these,  owing 
to  the  pressure  of  daily  wants,  the  disabling  conditions 
of  their  surroundings  and  other  kindred  circumstances, 
will  early  have  fallen  out  of  the  habit  of  reading  any 
other  than  the  most  ephemeral  and  often  mentally  de- 
bilitating literature,  and  equally  out  of  the  habit  of 
thinking  hiio  and  through  the  grave  social,  political,  and 
personal  questions  which  challenge  one  almost  daily.  I 
know  that  I-  am  saying  something  here  which  will  be  dis- 
tasteful to  many,  and  which,  from  others,  will  provoke 
impatient  and  contemptuous  denial.  It  will  be  said,  for 
instance,  that  the  average  of  intelligence  among  the 
American  people  is  higher  than  anywhere  else  in  the 
world;  that  the  clear  vision  of  the  less  highly  educated 
classes  is  continually  demonstrating  itself  in  its  singu- 
larly unerring  instinct  for  the  riglit  in  great  moral  and 
political  issues,  and  that  to  think  or  speak  of  the  large 
and  less  cultivated  majority  as  at  all  representing  an 
ignorant  European  peasantry  is  at  once  a  slander  and  a 
stupidity,  I  gladly  believe  it,  but  I  believe,  no  less,  that 
the  influence  of  educated  men  upon  men  who  are  but 
partially  educated  has  never  been  greater  than  to-day, 
and  is  destined  to  be  greater  still.  And  this  is  the  case, 
let  nie  add,  just  because  our  average  American  citizen 
who  is  not  a  college  graduate,  while  often  unequal  to  pro- 
found or  acute  original  thinking,  is  nevertheless  be- 
coming more  and  more  trained  to  recognize  the  charac- 
teristics and  often  the  force  of  the  processes  of  such 
reasoning,  and  to  be  increasingly  influenced  by  them. 
Max  Nordau  says,  in  his  striking  work  on  "  Degenera- 
tion," that  to-day  every  German  peasant  who  buys  a 
penny  paper  puts  himself  thereby  in  touch  with  the  in- 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION.  487 

terests  and  sufferings  and  fears  and  aspirations,  tlii(>ui;li 
its  telegraphic  columns,  of  the  whole  civilized  woi'ld. ' 
Yes,  but  who  is  to  guide  him  so  to  interpret  the  larger 
significance  of  what  he  reads  as  to  make  of  him  a  better 
citizen  and  a  better  man  f  It  is  here,  as  I  conceive,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  that  the  office  of  the  true  scholar  appears. 
You  may  exclaim  against  social  and  personal  inequalities 
as  you  please.  The  time  will  never  come  when  a  man 
who  has  not  merely  learned  certain  chemical  combina- 
tions so  that  he  can  manufacture  a  fertilizer,  or  certain 
mathematical  combinations  so  that  he  can  build  a  rail- 
road, but  has  also  learned  what  made  a  little  peninsula 
in  the  Adriatic  the  mistress  of  the  world,  or  how  Roman 
law  became  the  basis  of  the  jurisprudence  of  Christen- 
dom, or  how  the  fall  of  empires  was  foreshadowed  in 
the  "  Republic  "  of  Plato,  or  how  the  growth  of  a  corrupt 
and  pri\dleged  ecclesiasticism  brought  about  the  trans- 
formation of  modern  Europe ;  the  time  will  never  come, 
I  say,  when  the  man  who  has  learned  these  things,  not 
with  a  parrot-like  learning,  but  in  the  length  and  breadth 
of  their  vast  and  enduring  significance,  will  not  be,  in 
every  highest  sense,  the  master  of  him  who  has  not.  He 
may  not  be  as  rich,  as  adroit,  as  aggressive,  as  appar- 
ently successful.  He  may  be  overlooked  and  forgotten 
in  the  mad  scramble  for  place  or  power,  or  in  the  vulgar 
contentions  of  a  political  convention.  But  sooner  or 
later  will  come  the  moment  when  inferior  men,  helpless 
and  groping  in  their  ignorance,  will  be  compelled  to  listen 

1  The  humblest  village  inhabitant  has  to-day  a  widei*  geographical  hori- 
zon, more  numerous  aTid  complex  intellectual  interests,  than  the  Prime 
Minister  of  a  petty  or  even  of  a  second-rate  State  a  century  ago.  If  he  do 
but  read  his  paper,  let  it  be  the  most  innocent  provincial  rag,  he  takes  part, 
certainly  not  by  active  interference  and  inference,  but  by  a  continuous  and 
receptive  curiosity,  in  the  thousand  events  which  take  place  in  all  parts  of 
the  globe,  and  he  interests  himself  simultaneously  in  the  issue  of  a  bush-war 
in  East  Africa,  a  massacre  in  North  China,  a  famine  in  Russia,  a  street-row 
in  Spain,  and  an  international  exhibition  in  North  America.  "Degenera- 
tion."    Max  Nordau,  p.  39. 


488  UNION    COLLEGE. 

to  him,  just  as  men  of  meaner  mold  were  compelled  once, 
and  again  and  again,  to  listen  to  Lincoln, — graduate  of 
no  university,  it  is  true,  but,  from  the  hour  when,  a  long, 
ungainly  lad,  he  lay  before  the  fire  in  his  father's  cabin, 
reading  by  the  light  of  a  pine-knot,  all  the  way  on,  a 
devourer  of  books,  an  insatiate  learner  and  student, 
reader  and  thinker  and  seer  as  well. 

And  thus,  I  conceive,  we  are  prepared  to  see  the  place 
which  the  college  ought  to  fill  in  our  social  economy  to- 
day, and  the  influence  which  those  who  are  bred  in  it 
should  exert.  It  should  be  the  training-school  not  merely 
of  learners,  but  of  thinkers^  and  the  men  whom  it  gradu- 
ates should  be  the  leaders  not  merely  in  successful  enter- 
prise and  in  purely  technical  ability,  but  in  those  sounder 
ideas  of  civic  and  social  and  moral  order,  of  which  the 
greatest  nations  have  yet  so  much  to  learn.  I  do  not 
forget  the  fine  disdain  which  exists  among  us  in  certain 
quarters  toward  the  "  scholar  in  politics,"  nor  the  impa- 
tience of  its  criticisms, —  of  which  disdain,  unless  I  am 
mistaken,  you  have,  here,  had  quite  unstinted  expression 
on  occasions  similar  to  this.  But  the  scholar,  happily 
for  the  betterment  of  the  state,  however  little  the  ring- 
masters and  office-holders  happen  to  like  it,  persists  in 
obtruding  himself  into  politics,  as  into  all  other  burning- 
questions,  and  turns  the  eye  of  his  pitiless  lantern  of 
truth  upon  partizan  leaders,  and  placemen  with  equal 
and  searching  impartiality.  Have  you  ever  thought 
what  would  become  of  us  if  he  did  not  I  Have  you  ever 
dared  to  sit  down  and  imagine  what  ignorance  and  cu- 
pidity, mated  to  an  unscrupulous  lust  of  power,  would 
do  with  the  Republic,  if  it  were  not  for  some  clear  voice 
of  warning,  which,  from  time  to  time,  lifts  its  penetrating 
note,  names  the  insolent  defier  of  the  eternal  equities, 
paints  the  infamy  of  his  conduct,  and  pursues  him  with 
relentless  denunciation  f  We  have  had  our  modern 
Elijah,  lately,  in  the  great  metropolis,  yonder,  facing  the 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION.  4^f) 

moderu  Alial)  of  Taiiimaiiy  Hall  as  he  sneered,  "Art 
tlioii  he  that  troubleth  Israel?"  and  answering,  as  of  old, 
"  I  have  not  troubled  Israel,  but  thou  and  thy  father's 
house ! "  And  we  sleep  easier  in  New  York  because  of 
his  brave  and  splendid  crusade.  Does  anybody  think 
that  that  crusade  was  a  less  effective  one  because  Dr. 
Parkhui-st  was  a  college  graduate  ?  Nay,  does  not  every 
intelligent  man  know  that  that  clear  and  vigorous  and 
acute  mind, —  yet  to  light,  I  hope,  the  "  back  fires  "  that 
will  burn  up  all  the  rubl)ish  of  "bossism"  throughout  the 
commonwealth, —  does  not  every  one  know  that  this 
fearless  leader  was  just  so  much  better  equipped  for  his 
great  task  because  of  his  wider  reading  of  history  and 
the  finer  training  of  all  his  mental  powers  ? 

Never,  indeed,  was  there  an  age  when  the  state  de- 
manded of  its  sons,  in  whatever  relation  they  are  to  serve 
it,  a  larger  culture  or  a  riper  learning.  The  dangers  that 
assail  us  to-day  are,  after  all,  as  a  very  limited  reading 
will  demonstrate,  but  the  reappearance  of  old  foes  in  a 
new  guise.  There  is  not  a  political,  or  social,  or  economic 
heresy  of  which  you  may  not  find  the  prophecy  and  the 
prototype  in  the  pages  of  a  nearer  or  remoter  past.  We 
break  the  molds  in  which  society  organizes  itself,  we 
dethrone  the  monarch  and  fling  away  his  scepter,  but 
the  peril  of  officialism  forever  remains  ;  and  the  insolent 
pride  of  office  needs  forever  to  be  taught,  sharply  and 
humblingly,  it  may  be, —  all  the  way  from  chief  magis- 
trate to  policeman, —  that  our  rulers  and  office-holders 
are  the  servants,  not  the  masters,  of  the  people.  And  the 
men  who  are  to  lead  in  these  reforms, —  the  men  whose 
right  it  is  to  lead,  as  dealing  with  a  situation  which  has 
in  it  no  novelty  to  them, —  are  the  men  who  are  ordained 
to  be  "  men  of  leading,"  because  they  are  first  of  all  "  men 
of  light." 

And  this  not  only  in  the  realm  of  civic  and  political 
problems,  but  also  in  that  wider  realm  which  includes 


490  UNION    COLLEGE. 

our  whole  social  order,  and  touches  all  the  complex  rela- 
tions that  bind  together  a  civilized  society.  Here  agaiu^ 
as  before,  we  find  that  a  reconstruction  of  the  form  under 
which  such  a  society  exists  does  not  free  it  from  the 
perils  which  have  threatened  other  and  older  nations  and 
communities.  We  have  no  landed  aristocracy,  for  in- 
stance, in  America,  but  we  have  forms  of  associated 
wealth  which  have  seemed  to  many  people  who  are  not 
at  all  alarmists  quite  as  formidable  and  dangerous.  How 
to  harmonize  these,  and  how,  above  all,  to  disseminate  a 
sound  social  and  political  economy  among  people  who 
are  easily  misled  by  a  doctrine  of  socialism  which,  in 
correcting  one  set  of  evils,  threatens  to  create  others 
even  more  dangerous  and  destructive  in  their  tendencies, 
—  this,  surely,  must  be  the  office  of  men  who  have  read 
history  widely  and  deeply,  who  have  informed  themselves 
as  to  the  origin  and  beginnings  of  socialistic  movements, 
all  the  way  from  Athenian  communism,  down  through 
the  story  of  the  Hebrew  theocracy, —  the  societies,  as  we 
shouhi  call  them,  of  the  Essenes  and  the  Therapeiit(e^ — 
on  through  the  monastic  life  of  the  middle  ages,  until, 
in  the  sixteenth  century  (1516),  8ir  Thomas  More  pub- 
lished his  "Utopia,"  and  in  our  own  century,  Robert 
Owen,  and  Saint-Simon,  and  Lamennais  gave  to  the 
world  their  more  or  less  crude  conception  of  an  ideal 
state.  To  be  ignorant  of  these  things,  of  all  that  they 
stand  for,  and  of  the  truths  and  fallacies  so  curiously  in- 
termingled, which  they  severally  illustrate,  is  to  be 
largely  disqualified  even  for  intelligently  discussing, 
much  more  effectually  attempting  to  solve,  the  problems 
which  to-day  increasingly  challenge  us.  Here  is  the 
scholar's  true  place,  and  here,  brethren  and  fathers  of 
Union  College,  will  be  some  of  the  noblest  opportunities 
of  the  men  who  go  forth  from  yonder  halls. 

And  this,  most  of  all,  because  this  college  has  always 
stood,  and  I  pray  God  may  ever  continue  to  stand,  as  the 


CENTENNIAL   OllATION.  491 

nursery,  not  alone  of  a  soiiiul  learning,  but  also  as  tlic 
home  of  a  truly  philosophic  and  reflective  tempei', —  a 
temper  touched  and  ennol)led  by  the  highest  of  all  sanc- 
tions,—  the  person  and  the  messages  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  spirit  of  the  greatest  Teacher  whom  the  world  has 
ever  known,  a  Teacher  both  human  and  divine,  was 
early  invoked  here,  and  has  been  the  dominant  spell  in 
the  noblest  minds  and  lives  that  the  history  of  this  col- 
lege has  known.  It  was  called  Union  College,  unless  I 
have  been  misinformed,  because,  in  a  generation  con- 
spicuous for  marked  denoniinational  differences,  it  was 
meant  to  stand  for  a  larger  and  more  comprehensive 
spirit.  The  leading  institutions  of  learning  in  this  land, 
a  century  ago,  stood  mainly  for  various  partial  aspects 
of  Christian  truth  or  ecclesiastical  order,  which  it  is  no 
disrespect  to  them  to  describe  as  exclusive  rather  than 
inclusive.  The  men  who  were  reared  in  them  were 
mainly  the  sons  of  those  who,  from  strong  conviction  or 
inherited  belief,  held  somewhat  stiffly  not  merely  to  a 
particular  faith,  but  to  a  distinctive  order.  It  was  the 
especial  distinction  of  Union  College  that  it  allied 
itself  to  no  single  fellowship,  in  these  particulars,  but 
had  an  equal  welcome  for  pupils  of  whatever  tradi- 
tion. As  little  did  it  disparage  strenuous  conviction  in 
these  directions,  or  discourage  its  expression.  What  has 
lately,  and  slowly,  come  to  be  the  prevalent  usage  of 
other  institutions  in  this  regard  was,  unless  I  am  mis- 
taken, the  rule  of  this  college  from  the  beginning.  Each 
youth  was  taught  to  respect  the  convictions  in  which  he 
had  been  reared,  and  left  free  to  believe  and  to  worship 
in  accordance  with  them.  But,  as  recognizing  that 
greater  is  the  spirit  than  the  form  or  symbol  through 
which  it  finds  expression,  there  presided  from  the  be- 
ginning here  a  wide-minded  and  reverent  faith,  pro- 
foundly concerned  rather  for  the  fundamental  verities, 
and  constantly  illustrating  their  transforming  power. 


492  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Such  words  you  will  say,  perhaps,  are  mere  generali- 
ties, and  it  is  easy  to  indulge  in  generalities.  Bear  with 
me  then,  for  a  few  moments  longer,  if  I  attempt  at  once 
to  interpret  and  justify  them  by  some  illustrative  per- 
sonal reminiscences.  I  am  not,  with  a  single  exception, 
familiar  enough  with  the  earlier  history  of  Union  College 
to  recall  the  men  who  were  first  conspicuous  in  deter- 
mining its  character  and  creating  its  just  renown;  nor 
may  I  venture  to  deal  with  its  later  annals  in  any  purely 
judicial  spirit.  But  taking  these  hundred  years  as  a 
whole,  there  are,  I  venture  to  think,  four  names  which,  if 
not  preeminent  among  those  who  have  influenced  the 
growth  and  determined  what  is  most  characteristic  in 
the  history  and  development  of  this  college,  are  repre- 
sentative of  those  who  have  largely  affected  both,  and 
who  may  be,  at  any  rate,  accepted  as  typical  of  what,  for 
want  of  a  better  word,  I  may  call  the  genius  of  the  col- 
lege,—  I  mean  Eliphalet  Nott,  Alonzo  Potter,  Isaac  W. 
Jackson,  and  Tayler  Lewis.  I  am  embarrassed,  as  you 
will  readily  anticipate,  by  personal  ties  connecting  me 
with  two  of  these  names,  but  not  thereby,  I  hope,  wholly 
disqualified  from  estimating  them  with  at  least  a  modei'- 
ate  impartialitj^  Concerning  the  other  two,  I  am  hap- 
pily free  to  speak  without  restraint  or  reserve. 

One  of  them  carries  me  back  to  childish  days, —  for, 
alas,  I  was  never,  myself,  his  pupil  who  bore  it, —  and  has 
to  do  with  impressions  which  are  among  the  earliest  that 
the  mind  can  receive.  There  is  no  lad  within  the  sound 
of  my  voice, — there  is  no  man  who  is  not  so  unfortunate 
as  wholly  to  have  forgotten  the  impressions  of  childhood, 
who  will  not  tell  you  that  they  concerned,  first  of  all,  those 
things  that  strike  the  eye  and  the  ear,  and  that  awaken, 
on  the  one  hand  or  the  other,  fear  or  affection.  And  so  I 
apprehend  that  no  youth  who  can  remember  him  at  all 
will  ever  be  able  to  disassociate  Professor  Jackson  from 
that  impression  of  soldierly  precision,  and  that  aspect 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION.  4<):) 

and  niannei'  of  almost  military  brevity  and  abruptness, 
which  were  the  first  characteristics  in  him  that  revealed 
tlieniselves.  They  created  at  once  their  own  atmosphere, 
and  built  up,  inevitably,  a  fixed  tradition  which  no  less 
iuevitably  found  familiar  expression  in  a  titular  designa- 
tion which  will  live  in  the  memory  of  the  men  who  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  be  his  pupils  as  long  as  they  remember 
anything.  But  no  less  vivid  in  the  memory  of  these 
pupils,  I  am  persuaded,  as  in  the  memory  of  all  who 
genuinely  knew  him,  will  be  the  recollection  of  those 
other  qualities,  so  marked  and  so  engaging,  which  pre- 
eminently determined  his  character.  I  remember  to  have 
heard  it  said  once,  in  connection  with  Professor  Jackson's 
devotion  to  all  that  was  beautiful  in  trees,  shrubs,  plants, 
and  flowers,  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  very  odd  thing  that  a 
professor  of  mathematics  should  find  his  chief  delight  in 
the  creation  of  a  beautiful  garden ;  but  in  fact  it  was  this 
harmony  of  opposite  tastes  and  characteristics  which 
made  him  always  so  delightful  a  companion  and  so  in- 
teresting a  personality.  But  not  this  alone.  His  fine 
taste,  his  scientific  knowledge,  his  rare  energy,  were  all 
dominated  by  a  singular  elevation  and  nobility  of  temper 
which  assured  all  men  of  his  incorruptible  integrity,  and 
which  made  him  a  power  for  all  that  was  best.  Like  the 
science  which  he  loved  so  well  and  taught  so  ably,  he 
was  an  exact  man ;  and  rectitude,  a  life  ordered  upon  a 
rifiM  line,  distinguished  all  that  he  was  and  did.  In  a 
thousand  unconscious  ways  his  pupils  felt  and  recognized 
this,  and  so  he  stood  here,  during  all  his  long  and  distin- 
gidshed  service  as  a  professor  in  this  college,  for  that 
which  must  forever  be  a  part  of  the  structural  foun- 
dations of  character,  the  right,  and  the  eternal  right- 
eousness. 

Another  there  was,  cast  in  a  different  mold,  and  exer- 
cising by  his  pen,  as  well  as  b}^  his  voice  and  presence, 
an  influence  felt  far  beyond  these  immediate  limits,  and 


494  UNION    COLLEGE. 

felt  iucreasingly  to  the  eud.  In  Professor  Tayler  Lewis 
were  united  in  a  rare  degree  the  gifts  of  the  thinker  and 
the  seer.  His  clear  and  luminous  mind  penetrated  always 
to  the  heart  of  things,  and  a  rare  felicity  of  statement 
made  him  a  teacher  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word.  All 
over  this  land,  to-day,  there  are  men  who  can  look  back 
and  remember  how,  in  more  than  one  direction,  his  acute 
and  vigorous  intellect  gave  to  their  best  powers  their 
earliest  and  most  distinctive  impulse,  and  how  the  charm 
of  his  picturesque  presence,  and  the  beautiful  transpar- 
ency of  his  most  engaging  and  lovable  personality,  made 
them  in  love  with  beauty,  and  goodness,  and  truth,  wher- 
ever it  might  reveal  itself. 

Still  another  there  was  of  whom  I  may  scarcely  ven- 
ture to  speak  at  all,  and  yet  concerning  whom  you  will 
as  little  expect  me  to  keep  silent.  When  in  the  year  1814, 
a  Quaker  lad,  no  older  than  the  century,  entered  Union 
College,  he  little  dreamed  with  how  large  a  part  of  his 
life  it  was  to  be  bound  up,  nor  how  large  a  debt  he  was 
to  owe  it.  Later  generations  will  declare  whether  or  no 
he  at  all  discharged  that  debt ;  but  no  one  of  his  contem- 
poraries will  be  reluctant,  I  imagine,  to  own  that,  what- 
ever were  the  obligations  of  Alonzo  Potter  to  Union 
College,  he  gave  to  it  in  return  some  of  the  best  years 
and  most  helpful  services  of  a  rare  and  noble  life.  Gifted 
above  most  men  of  his  day  and  calling,  with  a  singularly 
wide  range  of  vision  and  a  very  high  and  sacred  sense 
of  the  teacher's  calling,  he  touched  few  lives  without  lift- 
ing them  to  a  loftier  conception  at  once  of  the  privileges 
and  the  responsibilities  of  educated  men.  A  great  teacher 
himself,  he  was  a  greater  disciple  of  the  truth,  however 
revealed.  Wherever  it  led  he  was  ready  to  follow,  and 
with  sympathies  as  large  and  generous  as  were  his  intel- 
lectual endowments,  the  motto  of  Terence,  ^'■Homo  sum  : 
humaul  nihil  a  me  aliemmi  piito,''^  was  as  true  of  all  that  he 
was  and  did  as  if  it  had  been  his  own.    He  loved  this 


CENTENNIAL   ORATION.  495 

college  with  a  tender  and  inextinguishable  lov(^,  and 
much  of  its  most  enduring  fame  will  be  bound  uj)  with 
his  name  and  services. 

And  he  whose  son,  if  not  in  the  flesh  yet  most  truly  in 
the  spirit,  he  was, —  the  man  to  whom  more  than  any 
other  in  all  its  history  this  college  is  preenunently  in- 
debted,—  do  I  need  even  to  name  him  1  There  was  a  time 
when  "Union  College"  and  "Eliphalet  Nott"  were  con- 
vertible terms.  There  will  never  come  a  time,  when  all 
that  is  best  and  greatest  in  its  achievements  will  not  be 
indissolubly  bound  up  with  his  life  and  work.  He  could 
say  of  the  college,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  words,  what 
a  Roman  emperor  could  say  of  his  capital, —  that  "he 
came  and  found  it  of  wood,  and  left  it  of  marble."  Step 
by  step,  vestigia  nuUa  retrorsum,  he  lifted  it  out  of  its  pro- 
vincial obscurity,  and  gave  to  it  a  name  and  a  fame 
throughout  the  land.  A  young  man,  and  an  old  man  elo- 
quent, he  was  without  the  rashness  of  the  one  or  the 
acerbity  of  the  other.  Of  singular  wisdom  and  penetra- 
tion, he  was  adorned  by  a  no  less  singular  patience  and 
gentleness.  Of  a  humor  so  delightful  and  so  unique  that 
the  traditions  of  it  are  as  fresh  to-day  as  they  were  a  half- 
century  ago,  he  was  as  incapable  of  a  word  that  could 
wound,  or  malign,  as  he  was  of  a  thought  that  was  base 
or  mean.  A  teacher  of  almost  unequaled  charm  in  the 
classroom,  he  was  a  counselor  of  matchless  and  unerring 
wisdom  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  outside  it. 
The  helper  and  defender  of  the  friendless,  the  pioneer  in 
every  good  and  noble  cause,  however  despised  or  forlorn, 
his  heart  was  as  young  at  fourscore  as  when  he  was 
himself  a  stripling ;  and  love  of  his  "  boys,"  as  he  forever 
called  them,  as  tender  and  inextinguishable  at  the  end 
as  at  the  beginning.  Who  will  undertake  to  count  the 
lives  he  touched  and  kindled  and  ennobled,  or  to  reckon 
the  men,  in  every  possible  rank  and  calling  of  life,  to 
whom  his  counsels  and  his  maxims  were  guiding  prin- 


496  UNION    (COLLEGE. 

ciples,  never  to  be  forgotten !  Great  teacher,  great  leader, 
great  administrator,  but,  greatest  of  all,  true  father  of  all 
his  sons ! 

My  friend  and  brother,^  if  I  may  venture  so  to  call  you, 
I  congratulate  you  that  yours  is  the  rare  privilege  of 
following  men  like  these.  The  man  of  rectitude,  the 
man  of  vision,  the  man  of  large  and  comprehensive  sym- 
pathies, and,  presiding  over  them  all,  the  man  of  paternal 
wisdom  and  of  a  child-like  and  Christ-like  benignity — 
surely  these  are  types  which  you  and  all  of  us  may  well 
be  glad  to  remember  to-day.  They  stand  for  that  sj^irit 
and  purpose  which  have  most  of  all  made  this  college  a 
power  for  God  and  for  good.  May  they  never  fade  out 
of  these  scenes ;  and  may  they  find  in  your  administra- 
tion new  and  nobler  illustration !  You  come  to  your 
large  tasks  under  happy  auguries,  and  with  a  wide  and 
generous  sympathy  on  every  hand  to  cheer  you  forward ! 
May  your  work  here  be  worthy  of  the  eminent  gifts 
which  you  have  elsewhere  revealed,  and  of  the  high  and 
unselfish  devotion  which,  hitherto,  has  adorned  your  use 
of  them.  The  clouds  are  past,  and  a  new  era  begins  to 
dawn  once  more  for  your  beloved  alma  mater.  May  it 
shine  more  and  more  into  the  perfect  day ! 

Graduates  and  Undergraduates,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men, I  end,  as  I  began,  with  other  words  than  my  own. 
Speaking  for  the  last  time  amid  these  scenes,  the  orator 
of  fifty  years  ago  breathed  out  of  a  full  heart  this  aspira- 
tion for  Union  College  —  it  is  the  prayer  of  his  children 
and  of  his  children's  children  to-day : 

"  Honored  parent,  heretofore  you  have  been  the  abode 
of  religious  toleration  —  may  you  be  so  still !  Thus  far 
you  have  been  the  nursery  of  free  spirits,  of  a  compre- 
hensive and  large-minded,  but  reverent  philosophy  — 
thus  may  it  always  be.  Here  has  paternal  kindness  and 
forbearance  ever  tempered  the  exercise  of  authority,  and 

1  Addressed  to  President  Eaymond. 


CENTENNIAL    ORATION.  497 

a  wakeful  parental  vigilance  l^een  applied  to  the  forming 
of  youthful  eharacter.  Be  it  never  otherwise !  And, 
when  the  term  of  fifty  years  has  again  rolled  away,  and 
your  children,  and  your  (dnldren's  children,  even  to  the 
fifth  and  sixth  generation,  shall  come  back  to  celebrate 
yoni"  praise  and  write  up  your  records,  may  it  b(^  found 
that  this  is  then  the  home  of  brave  and  true  men  —  of 
men  braver,  truer,  and  holier  than  we;  that  better  and 
wiser  spirits  have  risen  to  direct  your  counsels,  and  that 
a  higher  scholarship  and  a  deeper  sanctity  are  sending 
forth  from  these  shrines  rich  blessings  on  the  world." ' 

1  "Semi-centennial  discourse  of  Rev.  Alonzo  Potter,  D.  D.,"  pp.  28,  29. 


32 


REGISTRATION. 


REGISTRATION 


GRADUATES,  GUESTS,  AND  OTHERS  ATTENDING 
THE  COMMEMORATION. 

[The  following  names  appear  on  tlie  college  register  as  those  of  persons  present 
during  the  Centennial,  except  the  names  nnnuraliered,  which  are  of  persons 
whose  presence  at  the  Centennial  is  vouched  for  by  Mr.  R.  C.  Alexander,  of  the 
Class  of  1880.  The  register  entry  has  been  exactly  copied  in  each  case,  so  that 
spelling  of  name,  initials,  residence,  and  occupation  appear  as  given  by  the 
signer] : 

UNION  COLLEGE. 

1897. 

Reg.  No. 

446  O'Neill,  J.  A.,  Schenectady , Med.  Student. 

1895. 

512     Baker,  C.  Lauranee,  Comstocks Stock  Breeder. 

432     Burtis,  Arthur,  U.  S.  Navy 

427    Harder,  H.  D.,  Castleton 

425     Schermerhorn,  N.  I.,  Schenectady  Accountant. 

1894. 

94  Aufhampaugh,  E.  L.,  Delanson Medicine. 

66  Beckwith,  N.,  Stissing,  N.  Y Student. 

415  Braman,  Ashley  J.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .  .  .  Joiu'nalist. 

384  Cooke.  H.  L.,  Cooperstown, 

119  Gilmour,  Robt.  F.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y  . .  .   Electrical  Student. 

437  Gregory,  C.  E.,  Coxsackie,  N.  Y Civil  Engineer. 

345  Lansing,  R.  A.,  New  Brunswick 

439  Lawton,  W.  L.,  Albany,  N.  Y Civil  Engineer. 

38  Lynes,  G.  Briggs,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y Student. 

450  Miller,  Guy  H..  Herkimer,  N.  Y 

33  Smith,  Chas.  R.,  Tioga,  Pa Med.  Student. 

32*  501 


502  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reg.  No. 

34  Smith,  (leoi-ge  V.,  Tioga,  Pa Law  Student. 

313  Veeder,  James  W.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  .    . 

395  Veeder,  N.  I  ,  Schenectady Business. 

36  Van  Beusekom,  R.,  Jr.,  McKownville  .  .  .  .Med.  Student. 

498  Van  Schaick,  John,  Jr.,  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.. . 

1893. 

126  Cooper,  Frank,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

122  Clowe,  C.  W.,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J Theolog'y. 

511  Conde,  Edwin  C,  Schenectady Reporter. 

39  Cromer,  Wm.  F.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Sec.  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

444  Crane,  Fred.,  Montclair,  N.  J Student. 

476  Esselstyn,  Henry  H.,  Brooklyn 

48  Fairlee,  Alvah,  Schenectady Law  Student. 

338  Field,  C.  W.,  Clyde ^ 

461  Grupe,  F.  W.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y 

153  Hoxie,  Geo.  H.,  Cambridge,  N.  Y Teacher. 

11  Hughes,  George  T.,  New  York Journali.st. 

121  KUne,  H.  S.,  Amsterdam Attorney. 

416  Lines,  E.  D.,  Jamestown Business. 

261  Merchant,  H.  D.,  Nassau,  N.  Y 

78  Morey,  John  R.,  Schenectady Teacher. 

101  Perkins,  Roger  G.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  . .   Medicine. 

321  Pike,  Emory  Edward,  Johnstown,  N.  Y.     Insurance. 

192  Raymond,  H.  S.,  Waterloo,  Iowa Business. 

314  Van  Alstyne,  H.  A.,  Rochester,  N.  Y Civil  Engineer. 

449  Van  Zandt,  Burton,  Schenectady 

1892. 

256  Coons,  Edw.  S.,  Ballston  Spa 

252  Conaut,  Howard,  Waverley,  N.  Y 

32  Dougall,  Arthur,  Berlin,  Md., Minister. 

137  Furbeck,  George  H.,  Gloversville Physician. 

77  Mosher,  Gouverneur  F.,  Middletown,  Conn.  Divinity  Student. 

3  Orr,  Alex.,  Gloversville,  N.  Y Glove  Manufacturer. 

127  Sebring,  Lewis  Beck,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .  Civil  Engineer. 
480  TrnmbuU,  C.  W.,  Cleveland,  O Teacher. 

93  Wemple,  J.  V.,  Schenectady Clergyman. 

1891. 

257  Briggs,  Henry  Ward,  Wilmington,  Del. .  .  .  Physician. 

394  Burr,  John  W.,  Gloversville,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

412  Clements,  Robt.,  Cuba,  N.  Y. ClergjTiian. 

40  Dewey,  James  E.,  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y 


REGISTRATION.  503 

Reg.  No. 

176     Ferguson,  James  W.,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y.. .  Lawyer. 

r)07     Fiske.  Clias.,  Jr..  Gloversville,  N.  Y ("ivil  Eiig. 

247     (libson,  H.  P..  Schenectady,  N.  Y 

245  Little,  Beeknian  C,  Rochester Civil  Engineer. 

492  McDonald,  W.  A.,  (iloversville,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

246  Walker,  Thomas  L.,  Schenectady 

1890. 

65  Bennett,  John  Tra,  Jr.,  Chicago,  111 Teacher. 

319  Carroll,  Fred  Linns,  Johnstown,  N.  Y.  .  .  .Lawyer. 
208  Clnte,  George  H.,  Al])any,  N.  Y 

487  Comstoek,  F.  L.,  Ballston  Spa. Architect. 

62  Fish,  Norman  D.,  Tonawanda Lawyer. 

75  Knox,  John  C,  Schenectady   Minister. 

56  Mosher,  H.  T.,  Schenectady Instructoi'. 

74  Schwilk,  Elisha  T.,  New  York  City    Medicine, 

320  Stewart,  Geo.  C,  Amsterdam Lawyer. 

462  Wright,  Arthur  B..  New  York  City   Physician. 

1889. 

125  Cameron,  Leroy  L.,  St.  Paul Clergyman. 

244  Carroll,  Edward  T.,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

506  Dorlon,  Philip  S.,  Troy,  N.  Y Electrical  Eng. 

493  Fairgrieve,  G.  W.,  Coxsackie  ;  84  and  89 . .  Teacher. 

286  Flanigan,  C.  H.,  Albany,  N.  Y Engineer. 

191  Hanson,  J.  H.,  Amsterdam Lawyer. 

207  Moore,  Tom,  Schenectady 

243  Nolan,  Michael  D.,  Troy,  N.  Y. Lawyer. 

322  Shaw,  Charles  P.,  Albany,  N.  Y Merchant. 

84  Smith,  Max  M.,  M.  D.,  New  York  City  .  .   Physician. 

458  Snow,  J.  B.,  Tonawanda,  N.  Y"" Civil  Engineer. 

82  Simpson,  J.  L.,  Elbridge,  N.  Y Teacher. 

283  Whalen,  J.  L.,  New  York  City Civil  Engineer. 

1888. 

483     Baker,  Geo.  C,  Comstocks Attorney. 

Cole,  Philip  H.,  Schenectady Professor. 

343     Cumings,  H.  P.,  Schenectady Instructor. 

70     Davis,  C.  Schuyler,  Duluth,  Minn Lawyer. 

181b  Dillingham,  A.  J.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .    .   Lawyer. 

190     Kennedy,  William  L.,  Jr.,  New  York N.  Y.  Stock  Exchange. 

227  King,  Louis  M.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

383     Ishkanian,  Antranig  T.,  New  York  City      Physician. 

228  Lewis,  Frank  D.,  Amsterdam Business. 


504  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reg.  No. 

359  Little,  S.  W.,  Roclie.ster,  N.  Y Physician. 

422  McTntyre,  Joseph  W.,  Glenville Clergyman. 

20()  Stevenson,  M.  D.,  Albany,  N.  Y Physician. 

59  Winne,  J.  Edgar,  Kingston,  N.  Y Minister. 

1887. 

35  Bennett,  Alden  L.,  Waltham,  Mass Clergyman. 

372  Bridge,  Chas.  F.,  Albany    Lawyer. 

266  Cameron,  Edward  M.,  Albany,  N.  Y. Merchant. 

103  Estcourt,  Harry  S. ,  Schenectady    Newspaper. 

107  Furbeek,  Geo.  W.,  Stuyvesant,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

424  Gilmoui',  John  T.  B.,  Schenectady Pharmacist. 

509  Gulick,  Nelson  J.,  Bacon  Hill,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

327  Hawkes,  Edward  M.  Z.,  Newark,  N.  J .  .  .  .  M.  D. 

76  Johnson,  Irving  P.,  S.  Omaha,  Neb Priest. 

323  Karth,  Henry  A.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Physician. 

209  McMillen,  Harlow,  Grand  Rapids,  N.  D .  .  .  Teacher. 

123  McMnrray,  Chas.  B.,  Troy,  N.  Y 

464  Miller,  Edward  Waite,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. .  .  .  Clergyman. 

69  Pepper,  A.  H.,  Schenectady    Professor. 

262  Radlii¥,  Kelton  C,  Schenectady Manufacturer. 

55  Van  Voast,  John  C,  Schenectady    Lawyer. 

61  Vroman,  Dow,  Tonawanda    Lawyer. 

503  Wemple,  Wm.  B.,  Albany,  N.  Y 

1886. 

159  Allen,  T.  Warren,  N.  Y.  City Civil  Engineer. 

317  Angle,  E.  C,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

15  Dorwin,  G.  S.,  Ogdensbur-g,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

401  Foote,  Thos.  H.,  New  York  City Engineer. 

375  Harris,  E.  S.,  Catskill .' School. 

67  Jackson,  Allan  H.,  New  York  City Lawyer. 

405  Little,  J.  L.,  Rochester   C.  Eug. 

495  Perkins,  Ed.  J.,  Amsterdam Lawyer. 

249  Randall,  F.  S.,  Le  Roy Lawyer. 

443  Wemple,  Wm.  W.,  Schenectady Attorney. 

1885. 

229  Bailey,  Frank,  Brooklyn,  T.  G.  &  T.  Co..   Lawyer. 

136  Bai-hydt,  Geoi-ge  Weed,  Westport,  Conn. .  .  Clergyman. 

268  Bishop,  A.  B.,  Clyde,  N.  Y Teacher. 

310  Bond,  Frank,  Kinderhook,  N.  Y 

361  Coflin,  Saml.  B.,  Hudson,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

223  Crane,  F.  E  ,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y Civif  Eng. 


REGISTKATION.  505 

Ueg.  No. 

325     Delaney,  Thomas  J.,  Alluuiy,  N,  Y Engineer. 

420     Fowler,  Evei-ett,  King;st()n,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

')i)4     Foote,  Wallaee  T.,  Jr.,  Pcn-t  Henry,  N.  Y.   Lawyer. 
32(J     (jihbes,  K.  Hamilton,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Driiffg-ist. 

237  Halsey,  Albert  L.,  Schenectady Law. 

429  :\rills,'Wm.  C,  Gloversville,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

42(5     Schermerhorn,  J.  R.,  Schenectady 

131     Sweetland,  3Ionroe  M.,  Ithaca,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

430  Veeder,  John  H.,  Schenectady School  Commissioner. 

360     Wands,  R.  J.,  Fairmount,  Md Business. 

1884, 

362  AUison,  Geo.  F.,  N.  Y.  City Lawyer. 

238  Barney,  Edgar  S.,  36  Stnyvesant  St.,  N.  Y. Principal. 

278  Beekman,  Dow,  Middlebux'gh Lawyer. 

287  Dailey,  W.  N.  P.,  Albany Clergyman. 

493  Fail-grieve,  Geo.  Wm.,  Coxsackie,  84,  89.  .Teacher. 

141  Green,  Jas.  G.,  Rochester .  .  .Lawyer. 

264  Heatley,  John  A.,  Schenectady Doctor. 

339  MacFarlane,  A.,  Albany,  N.  Y Physician. 

118  McEncroe,  J.  F.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Physician. 

348  Moore,  William  A.,  Potsdam,  N.  Y 

373  Mynderse,  H.  V.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Physician. 

340  Naylon,  Daniel  Jr.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .  .  .Lawyer. 
328  Philip,  H.  V.  N.,  New  York Lawyer. 

Stoller,  James,  Schenectady Professor. 

312  Van  Auken,  L.,  West  Troy,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

47  Young,  Henry  C,  Hagaman,  N.  Y M.  D. 

1883. 

Adams,  John  W Lawyer. 

251     Addison,  Dan'l  Delaney,  Brookline,  Mass. Clergyman. 

10     Benedict,  R.  A.,  Cranford,  N.  J .  ,  .Lawyer. 

433     Burton,  Prank,  Glovers\'ille Lawyer. 

16     Cantine,  James,  Busrab,  Arabia Missionaiy. 

311     Dent,  Richard  W.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y 

46     Franklin,  C.  E.,  Albany,  N.  Y Teacher. 

204    Harding,  John  R.,  Utica,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

148     Hook,  G.  S.,  Schenectady Engineer. 

Evans,  John  Gai'y,  Columbia,  S.  C Governor. 

436     Lansing,  J.  B.  W.,  Tenafly,  N.  J Physician  and  Surgeon. 

377     McClellan,  F.  W.,  Schenectady Business. 

466     McElwain,  Daniel  C,  Cohoes Lawyer. 


506  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reg.  No. 

336     Sloan,  B.  Cleveland,  Sclienectady,  N.  Y. .  .Insurance. 

448     Timmerman,  C.  F.,  Amsterdam Physician. 

1882. 

Case,  Lee  W.,  Schenectady Manufacturer. 

482     Coffin,  Lewis  A.,  New  York  City Physician. 

110     Fail-grieve,  J.  R.,  Walton,  N.  Y Teacher. 

Fay,  Charles  E Clergyman. 

371     Gifford,  Wm.,  Schenectady Engineer. 

22  Greene,  E.  W.,  New  Salem,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

380     Griswold,  Sheldon  Muuroe,  Hudson,  N.  Y.  Clergyman. 

284     Hinds,  Herbert  C.,  Troy,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

370     McFarren,  J.  A.,  Syracuse,  N.  Y Att'y. 

102     Reed,  W.  Boardman,  New  York  City Civil  Engineer. 

Van  Voast,  James  A.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

479     Watkins,  S.  H.,  Norwalk,  Conn Clergyman. 

71     WhitehoT'ue,  Bayard,  Newark,  N.  J Electricity. 

409     Whitmeyer,  Edward  C,  Schenectady.  . . .   Lawyer. 

52     Wright,  A.  S.,  Cleveland,  0 Teacher. 

1881. 

379    Abbott,  F.  E.,  Chicago C.  E. 

248    Anable,  C.  V.,  New  York Lawyer. 

303     Cameron,  F.  W.,  Albany Lawyer. 

374     Glen,  Horatio  G.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

298     Henning,  John  J.,  Green  Island,  N.  Y.  .  .  .Clergyman. 

382     Landreth,  Wm.  B.,  Cortland,  N.  Y Engineer. 

435     Lansing,  Edw.  Ten  Eyek,  Little  Falls Civil  Engineer. 

Lester,  James  W.,  Saratoga Lawyer. 

305     McClellan,  Samuel  Paris,  Troy,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

Moore,  Frank  W Manufacturer. 

Raukine,  James  L.,  New  York  City Bu.siness. 

221     Schlosser,  Henry,  Aurora,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Pastor  Pi-esby.  Church. 
95     Still,  Josiah,  Masonville,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

23  Vedder,  A.  M.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. Lawyer. 

481     Vedder,  L.  T.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Physician. 

277     White,  Wm.  M.,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y Physician. 

297     Wood,  Robert  A.,  Warsaw,  N.  Y Editor. 

351     Wiswall,  Irving  W.,  Ballston  Spa Lawyer. 

1880. 

155     Alexander,  R.  C,  New  York Lawyer. 

205     Anderson,  Wilber  E.,  Scranton,  Pa.    Civil  Engineer. 

216     Bishop,  Chas.  F.,  Brooklyn Lawyer. 

419     Craig,  Joseph  D.,  Albany,  N.  Y Physician. 


REGISTRATION.  507 

Reg.  No. 

213     (Vane,  F.  P.  S.,  Middletown,  N.  Y Mcnhaiit. 

21)0     Ely,  Frank  S.,  New  York  City Manufactnrer. 

Fitzfiferald,  John  Leland,  Schenectady.  .  .  .  Enjjfineer. 

135     Laudou,  R.  J.,  City Lawyer, 

1!)!)     ^[uhlfelder,  David,  All)any,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

Parry,  .lohn   F.,  Glens  Falls Banker. 

41     Ripton,  B.  H.,  Schenectady Professor. 

134     Rogers,  F.  T.,  Providence,"  R.  I Physician. 

234    Sadler,  W.  H.,  Scranton,  Pa Civil  Engineer. 

c  Chancellor, 
440     rpson,  An.son  Judd,  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y..  ]  Honorary 

f  graduate  1880. 

Van  Santvoord,  Talcott  C,  New  York  City .  Banker. 

Vosburgh,  Miles  W.,  Albany Business. 

1879. 

346  Adams,  Wm.  P.,  Cohoes,  N.  Y 

37  Goodi'ich,  James  A.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .    Lawyer. 

465  Grupe,  John  W.  H.,  Schenectady Florist. 

344  Heatly,  James,  Green  Island Teacher. 

250  Kingsley,  H.  W.,  St.  Louis,  Mo 

129  Marks,  Geo.  E.,  New  York  City  

169  Reed,  Newton  L.,  Olean,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

370  Sevenoak,  F.  L.,  New  York  City 

128  Sprague,  David,  Amherst,  Mass Clergyman. 

44  Van  Dusen,  Fred,  Ogdensburg Principal. 

332  White,  E,  P.,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

1878. 

330  Anable,  Eliph.  Nott,  New  York Lawyer. 

385  Cass,  Lewis,  Aloany Lawyer. 

365  DeyErmand,  Hugh  H.,  Albany,  N.  Y.   .  .  .  Manufacturer. 

418  Lansing,  Egbert  P.,  Stamford,  Conn. Merchant. 

80  Maxon,  W.  D.,  Pittsburgh   Clergyman. 

26  Sanders,  Chas.  P.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

Smith,  Everett,  Schenectady   Lawyer. 

203  Stolbrand,  Vasa  E.,  New  Brighton    Teacher. 

293  Thomas,  John  F.,  Stuyvesant,  N.  Y 

31  Vanderveer,  Lauren,  Schenectady,  N.  Y .  .  Clergyman. 

399  Van  Santvoord,  Seymour,  Troy,  N.  Y 

494  Vroomau,  Wm.  C,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  .  .  .Merchant. 

1877. 

402     Akin,  Clarence  E.,  Troy,  N.  Y 

398     Bassett,  Frederick  J.,  Providence,  R.  I.  .  .Clergyman. 


508  UNION    COLLEGE. 

RefT.  No. 

130     BrovviioU,  F.  V.,  Schenectady Physician. 

388    Delehanty,  John  A.,  Albany,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

168     Fairlee,  Geo.,  Troy,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

ooo     n-jj-         Tji       n  1-     tr    XT       VI  S  Pi"of(^ssor  iu  Columbia 

232     Giddings,  Franklm  H.,  New  i  ork <  n^^g^g 

490  Moore,  Dewitt  C,  Johnstown,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

25  Rankine,  Wm.  B.,  New  York  City  Lawyer. 

387  Roberson,  W.  C,  N.  Y Merchant. 

296  Russum,  Joseph  C,  Schenectady Clergyman. 

280  Tenbroeck,  D.  Wessel,  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y.  Postal  Clerk. 

1876. 

477     Greene,  Homer,  Honesdale,  Pa Lawyer. 

138     Kriegsman,  Edward  E.,  Schenectady    . . .  .Lawyer. 

367     Lawrence,  E.  S.,  Ballston,  N.  Y 

147    Landreth,  Olin  H.,  Union  College Professor. 

Truax,  James  R.,  Schenectady   Prof,  of  English. 

231    Veenfliet,  E.  M.,  St.  Mary's,  Ohio Civil  Engineer. 

1875. 

294  Dudley,  Harwood,  Johnstown,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

Franciiot,  N.  V.  V.,  Olean,  N.  Y Manufacturer. 

120     Gowenlock,  J.  N.,  Marlboro',  England. . .  .Engineer. 

463     Hodgkins,  H.  C,  Syracuse,  N.  Y Civil  Engineer. 

392     King,  Chas.  B.,  Peoria,  111 

98     Oppenheim,  Louis,  New  York U.  S.  Service. 

57     Raymond,  Andrew  V.  V.,  Schenec'y,  N.  Y. President  Union  Col. 

295  Schoolcraft,  John  L.,  Schenectady M.  D. 

269  Smith,  DeWitt  C,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Civil  Engineer. 

502    Wemple,  Frank  P.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .  . .  Manufacturer. 

1874. 

337     Backus,  J.  Bayard,  New  York Lawyer. 

335     Barker,  James  F.,  Albany,  N.  Y Physician. 

455    Beakley,  G.  F.,  Johnstown,  N.  Y 

1873. 

276  Buchanan,  A.,  Chambersburg,  Pa Eng'r  and  Contractor. 

2  Clute,  Wm.  T.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Physician. 

270  Faulkner,  W.  E.,  Fairview,  Pa Minister. 

253  King,  H.  Prior,  Glens  Falls Lawyer. 

485  Lester,  WiUard,  Saratoga Lawyer. 

423  Packer,  J.  B.,  Schenectady 

302    Rider,  John  M.,  New  York Lawyer. 


REGISTRATION.  509 

Reg.  No. 

282     Rost,  Wm.  F.,  SclieiuH-tady   

30(i     Kudd,  Win.  \\,  Albany Lawyer. 

1872. 
459     Archibald,  Andrew  W,,  Hyde  Park,  Bost'n. Clergyman. 

241     Barry,  J.  C,  Cortland,  N.  Y Manufacturing'. 

473     Ci'ofts,  Clarence  L.,  Hudson Merchant. 

333  Hillis,  W.  J.,  Albany Lawyer. 

79     Kline,  Wm.  J.,  Amsterdam Publisher. 

451     Mills,  Charle-s  H.,  Albany,  N.  Y 

96     Thornton,  Howard,  Newburgh,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

1871. 

378  Corbin,  E.  A.,  Albany Teacher. 

240  Featherstonhaugh,  Geo.  W.,  Schenectady .  Lawyer. 

196  Hoff ,  John  Van  R.,  U.  S.  A.,  (Gov'nor's  Isl.) .  Med.  Department. 

279  Sprague,  Philo  W.,  Boston,  Mass Minister. 

230  WUbur,  H.  S.,  Rochester,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

356  Yates,  C.  O.,  Schenectady    . 

1870. 
513     Backus,  Clarence  W.,  Kansas  City,  Kan  .  .Clergyman. 

139     Geuung,  George  F.,  Suffield,  Conn Clergyman. 

7    Genung,  John  F. ,  Amherst,  Mass Professor. 

Lestei',  Charles  C,  Saratoga  Sprs Lawyer. 

219     Loekwood,  Jas.  B.,  White  Plains Lawyer. 

Ill     Peake,  Albert  D.,  Walton,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

500     Peake,  Cyi*us  A.,  Yonkers,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

218     Sherman,  Joseph,  New  Baltimore Civil  Engineer. 

334  Stiles,  R.  B.,  Lansingburgh,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

132     Wortman,  Denis,  Saugerties  (Hon.) Clergyman. 

1869. 

301     Clark,  Kenneth,  St.  Paul,  Minn Banker. 

363     Washington,  J.  A.,  Schenectady 

1868. 

307     Hunter,  W.  S.,  Schenectady Manufacturer. 

342     Mott,  John  T.,  Oswego Banker. 

9     Scott,  Walter,  Suffield,  Conn Prin.  Conn.  Lit.  Inst. 

318     Spraker,  David,  Canajoharie,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

368    Warner,  J.  B.  Y.,  Rochester,  N.  Y Planter. 

1867. 

201     Coons,  J.  J.,  Deekertown,  N.  J Civil  Engineer. 

143     Doolittle,  S.  K,,  Stony  Point,  N.  Y,  Clergyman. 


510  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reg.  No. 

414  Fiero,  J.  N.,  Albany Lawj'er. 

407  Fish,  R.  B.,  Fultonville,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

242  Haiulin,  Teiinis  S.,  Washington Clergyman. 

355  Mun-ay,  Wm.  H.,  Albany,  N.  Y Physician. 

289  Olney,  A.  R.,  West  Troy Clergyman. 

267  Planck,  M.  G.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y Physician. 

413  Ronan,  E.  D.,  Albany Lawyer. 


1866. 

149  Alexander,  George,  New  York  City Clergyman. 

486  Ashe,  John  E.,  Fonda,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

499  Bates,  Erskine  S.,  New  York  City Physician. 

390  Bunn,  T.  Romeyn,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y 

116  Cady,  M.  M.,  Dubuque,  Iowa ...  .Lawyer. 

457  Dean,  J.  J.,  New  York  City 

452  Loucks,  William,  Albany,  N.  Y 

474  Miller,  James  C,  Amsterdam 

475  Sanson,  Thos.  J.,  East  Orange,  N.  J Lawyer. 

45  Seymour,  Dan'l,  New  York  City Lawyer. 

88  Van  Vranken,  E.  W.,  Brooklyn Lawyer. 

Wemple,  Edward,  Fultonville  Manufactm-er. 

1865. 

189  Albro,  W.  H.,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

447  Allen,  Elmer  A.,  New  York  City Lawyer. 

27  Brooks,  Clark,  New  York Lawyer. 

324  Cornell,  Howard,  Seneca  Castle,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

28  Hoag,  F.  J.,  Toledo,  0 

478  Lockwood,  D.  N.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

60  Lyon,  R.  S.,  Chicago   Commissioner. 

193  McLeod,  Theodorus,  New  York  City Lawyer. 

13  Meredith,  J.  L.,  Williamsport,  Pa Lawyer. 

58  Paige,  Jno.  Keyes,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  ... 

30  Pelton,  Frank,  Des  Moines,  Iowa Civil  Engineer. 

Robinson,  David  C,  Elmira Lawyer. 

263  Rockwell,  Lewis  H.,  Albany Teacher. 

86  Rossiter,  S.  B.,  New  York  City Minister. 

194  Rupert,  John  L.,  Sammonsville Teacher. 

Staley,  Cady,  Cleveland,  0 President. 

274  Sutton,  George  H,,  Springfield,  Mass Insurance. 

109  Van  Zandt,  H.  C,  Schenectady .Physician. 

210  Waldron,  Z.  W.,  Jackson,  Mich Physician. 


REGISTRATION.  511 

Reg.  NO.  1864. 

112  Anthony,  Wnlti'r  (".,  Ni'wbui-gli,  N.  Y.  .  .    Lawyer. 

113  Arthur,  George,  Springfield,  0 Lawyer. 

49     Biiruham,  T.  W.,  Cleveland,  0 j\rerehant. 

212     Carr,  Elias  F.,  Trenton,  N.  J Teacher. 

217     Crumb,  D.  S.,  Bloonitield,  Mo Real  Estate. 

87    Curtiss.  E.,  Sodus Teacher. 

352     Magoun,  Edw.  P.,  Hudson,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

Paige,  Edward  Wiuslow,  New  York  City .  . 
43     Potter,  William  Appleton,  New  York  City  Architect. 

^20     Sherman,  Augustus,  New  Baltimore Lawyer. 

273     Steinf iihrer,  ( '.  D.  P.,  Astoria,  L.  L,  N.  Y. .  Clergyman. 

Stnmg,  Alonzo  P.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

8     Van  Allen,  C.  E.,  Stephentown Minister. 

211     Wakeman,  Samuel  S.,  Ballston  Spa,  N.  Y. .  Merchant. 
174     Ward,  Henry,  Closter,  N.  J Clergyman. 

1863. 
167     Atwood,  A.Watson,  Philadelphia,  Pa.   .  .   Lawyer. 

497     Easton,  Chai-les  L.,  Chicago Lawyer. 

105     Parker,  Amasa  J.,  Albany,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

Potter,  Henry  C,  New  York  (A.  M.) Chan.  '95,  Clergyman. 

166     Snow,  Horatio  N.,  Albany,  N.  Y Banker. 

202    Van  Vrankeu,  G.  D.,  Hempstead M.  D. 


1862. 

291  BothweU,  J.  L.,  Albany Teacher. 

397  Brooks,  Peter  H.,  Wilkesbarre,  Pa. Clergyman. 

496  Bm*ns,  J.  Irving,  Yonkers Lawyer. 

19  Howe,  S.  B.,  Schenectady Supt.  Schools. 

510  Joslin,  J.  T.,  Schenectady 

145  Lewis,  D.  N.,  Avei'ill  Park Clergyman. 

393  Shankland,  W.  H.,  Albany,  N.  Y 

21  Sherwood,  John  E.,  Albany Teacher. 

254  Slocum,  Elliott  T.,  Detroit,  Mich 

1861. 

358  Bailey,  John  M.,  Albany,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

331  Barnes,  John  A.,  Chicago,  lU Insurance. 

441  Coe,  John  S.,  Canandaigua,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

260  Earle,  Charle.s  M.,  N.  Y.  City Lawyer. 


512  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reg.  No. 

369     Fox,  Clias.  J.,  Detroit,  Mich 

410  Landon,  Melville  D.,  New  York  City  ...  i 

411  Eli  Perkins,  New  York  City \  P^^^^'^ot- 

Potter,  Eliphalet  Nott,  Geneva President. 

108  Reagles,  James,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. Physician. 

184  Reynolds,  S.  Edgar,  Troy,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

409  Sinitli,  Chas.  Emory,  Philadelphia Editor. 

484  Turner,  Robert  T.,  Elmira Lawyer. 

239  White,  T.  R.,  New  York  City Teacher. 

42  Wilcox,  Maj.  Timothy  E.,  U.  S.  Army Surgeon. 

456  Yost,  Daniel,  Fonda,  N.  Y 

1860. 

255    Arch))ald,  James,  Scranton,  Pa Engineer. 

Benedict,  Samuel  T,,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

258     Birch,  J.  P.,  Philadelphia,  Pa Physician. 

235     Cantiue,  John,  Schenectady Civil  Engineer. 

90     Conant,  C.  A.,  Lishas  Kill Clergyman. 

99     Flint,  Weston,  Washington,  D.  C 

181a  Gilmour,  Neil,  Ballston  Spa.,  N.  Y Manager  Aetna  Life. 

105     Hulett,  E.  M.,  Fort  Scott,  Kan Lawyer. 

64    Lyon,  J.  Alexander,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  .  . 
200     Mansfield,  S.,  Wappinger's  Falls,  N.  Y . .  .  .  Principal. 

214  Miller,  Warner,  Herkimer Farmer. 

McElroy,  Wm.  H.,  New  York  City Journalist. 

195  Patterson,  Charles  E.,  Troy,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

417  Rexford,  W.  M.,  N.  Y Contractor. 

63  Sprague,  Charles  E.,  New  York Pres't  Savings  Bank. 

215  Thayer,  Samuel  R.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.  . . 

265  Voorhees,  J.  H.,  Amsterdam 

460  Wilcox,  J.  H.,  Otter  Lake,  N.  Y 

1859. 

442  Hodge,  James  M.,  Philadelphia,  Pa Secret'y  and  Treasurer. 

117  Jackson,  Daniel  B.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  .  .Clergyman. 

177  Peck,  Chas.  H.,  Albany,  N.  Y Botanist. 

315  Rexford,  Benjamin  F.,  Jr.,  Montclair,  N.  J. Custom  Service. 

100  Robinson,  James  H.,  Delhi,  N.  Y 

428  Westlake,  W.  B.,  Dallas,  Pa Clergyman. 

1858. 

161  Cooley,  Le  Roy  C,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. . . 

162  Daniels,  Anson  J.,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  .  .Lumberman. 

17     Enders,  J.  H.,  Fort  Hunter,  N.  Y. Synodical  Sup't. 


REGISTRATION. 


513 


197 


Reg.  No. 

233     Fisk,  Hic'liiiKiiul,  Boston,  IMass Clerti^yniaTi. 

14     Grahain,  J.  B.,  Selu'iioi-taay,  N.  Y 

396     Hazleton,  Geo.  C,  Washiut^toii,  I).  C.  ...    Lawyer. 

175     Johnson,  Wm.  M.,  Colioes,  N.  Y.  Clergyman. 

Mygatt,  John  T  ,  New  York    Business. 

316     Norton,  L.  P.,  Bennington,  Vt Insurance. 

403     Tryon,  J.  R.,  Navy  Dept.,  Wash.,  1).  ('.   .  .Sm-g.  Gen'l.  U.  S.  N. 

1857. 

51  DeRemer,  J.  A.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

182  Felter,  M.,  Troy,  N.  Y Phy.sician. 

170  Horner,  Geo.  D.,  New  Egypt,  N.  J.     Teaclier. 

157  Lewis,  S.  D.,  Amsterdam    Physician. 

152  McChesuey,  J.  B.,  Oakland,  Cal   Teacher. 

347  Tliorne,  C.  C,  Windham,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

154  Zabriskie,  N.  Lansing,  Aurora,  N.  Y.   .  .     Law. 

1856. 

329     Cheeseman,  N.  S.,  Scotia,  N.  Y Phy.sician. 

50     Hough,  G.  W.,  Bvanston Astronomer. 

353     Robinson,  W.  J.,  Allegheny,  Pa Clergyman. 

1855. 

114     Clarke,  A.  P.,  Cazeuovia,  N.  Y C.  Engineer. 

Landon,  Judsou  S.,  Schenectady   .(A.  M.)  Lawyer. 

1854. 

172  Buitoji,  Reuben  B.,  Ncav  York Physician. 

20  Furbeck,  P.  R.,  Glover.sville,  N.  Y Physician. 

434  Furbeck,  P.,  West  Copake Clergyman. 

236  Marvin,  Daniel,  Troy,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

349  Nott,  Chas.  D.,  New  York    

160  Peterson,  E.  H.,  Montrose,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

304  Rice,  Edwin  W.,  Philadelphia Editor. 

400  Westfall,  D.  M.,  Camln-idge 

364  Yates,  A.  A.,  Schenectady 


1853. 

54     .Jackson,  A.  H.,  Ft.  Logan,  ('olo U.  S.  Army. 

Millard,  Nelson,  Rochester Clergjanan. 


1852. 


354    Anderson,  J.,  Cambridge,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

83     Brownell,  S.  B.,  New  York Counsellor  at  LaAv, 

259     Dunlap,  Wm.  B.,  Schenectady 

33 


514: 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


Keg.  No. 

292     Hood,  Robt.,  Livingston,  N.  Y Civil  Engineer. 

505     HitcUcock,  O.  B.,  Ithaca  Minister. 

514    Linn,  John  D.,  St.  Augustine,  Fla. Clergyman. 

1851. 

183     Fry,  Jacob,  Reading,  Pa Clergyman. 

179     Graham,  William,  Dubuque,  Iowa Lawyer. 

489     Gurley,  L.  E.,  Troy Manufactm-er. 

171     Smith,  Alfred  B,,  Poughkeej^sie,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

164    Woodi-ufe,  Wm.  H.,  Pine  Bush,  Orange, 

Co.,  N.Y ^. 

225     Wright,  Frank  D.,  Auburn,  N.  Y ."Lawyer. 


163 
1 

81 


271 
341 
142 

308 
438 
104 

188 


151 

285 
97 

408 

140 
12 

158 


Physician  &  Sui"geon. 


1850. 

Darrow,  D.  J.,  Brookings,  S.  Dakota 

Day,  S.  Mills,  Honeoye,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

Thomson,  Lemon,  Thomson,  N.  Y Lumber  Merchant. 

1849. 

Brower,  H.  T.  E.,  Fonda Farmer. 

Butterfield,  Daniel,  New  York 

French,  John  R.,  Syracuse  Univei'sity  ....  Teacher. 

Green,  Andrew  H.,  Syracuse,  N.  Y Lawyer. 

Merchant,  Abel,  Nassau,  N.  Y 

Pearse,  J.  Lansing,  Delmar,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

Wells,  Sa-m'l,  Schuylerville Lawyer. 

1848. 

Bliss,  Thos.  E.,  Denver,  Colo. Clergyman. 

Bronson,  J.  H.,  Amsterdam Retired. 

Daucliy,  Geo.  K.,  Chicago Manufacturer. 

Diefendorf ,  Menzo,  New  York Lawyer. 

King,  Harvey  J.,  Troy,  N.  Y. Lawyer. 

Stark,  Joshua,  Milwaukee,  Wis Lawyer. 

Wahlron,  C.  A.,  Waterford Law. 


1847. 
445    MeClellan,  R.  H.,  Galena,  111. . . . 


187 

133 

186 

18 


.  Varied. 


1846. 
Anable,  Courtland  W.,  New  Brighton,  S.  I. Clergyman. 

Baldwin,  R.  J.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Carroll,  John  M.,  Johnstown Lawyer. 

Dunham,  Isaac  W.,  SchenYly Teacher. 


KEGISTEATION.  515 

Reff.  No. 

24     Rankiue,  J;imes,  Geneva,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

173     Sillinian,  H.  B.,  Cohoes 

357     Swits,  Jno.  L.,  Schenectady 

1845. 

29  Bailey,  Lansing,  (Jeneva,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

448  Busli,  Steplien,  Waterfcn-d,  N.  Y Clergyman. 

275  Campbell,  Jolm  L.,  New  York Physician. 

185  Earl,  K.,  .Herkimer Judge. 

272  Perry,  Seely,  Rockford,  111. Merchant. 

6  Putnam,  L.  D.,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich Doctor. 

89  Warring,  C.  B.,  Poughkeepsie Teacher. 

1844. 

508  Brown,  Theo.  S.,  Chatham,  N.  Y Clerg^nnan. 

515  Lamoroux,  Wendell,  Union  College Professor. 

72  Moore,  W.  H.  H.,  New  York Lawyer. 

73  Phelps,  Philip,  Jr.,  North  Blenheim,  N.  Y.Clergyman. 
146  Rice,  Alexander  H.,  Boston 

472  Wood,  Wm.  H.,  Chicago Lawyer. 

1843. 

366  ColHer,  C.  P.,  Hudson,  N.  Y 

386  Geer,  A.  C,  Hoosick  Falls   Lawyer. 

91  Moore,  Franklin,  Washington,  D.  C U.  S.  Service. 

4  Taylor,  Geo.  I.,  Newark,  N.  J Clergyman. 

106    Taylor,  J.  W.,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

1842. 
53    Jackson,  S.  W.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

92  Maxwell,  J.  L.,  New  York Clergyman. 

381     McHarg,  Chas.  K.,  Cooperstown,  N.  Y..  .  .Clergyman. 

1841. 

299    Cowles,  Augustus  W.,  Elmira,  N.  Y Pres.  Em.  Elmira  Col. 

198     Luce,  Samuel  D.,  Fayette\nlle Lawj-er. 

350     Potter,  Henry  C,  Saginaw,  Mich R.  R'd. 

470     Potter,  Jos.,  Whitehall   Lawyer. 

1840. 

Chadsey,  Demetrius  M.,  Schenectady Lawyer. 

124  Clarke,  George  W.,  Ph.  D.,  New  York  City.Teacher. 
222  Danforth,  George  F.,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  .  .  .Lawyer. 
150     Hodgman,  T.  M.,  Rochester Clergyman. 


516  UNION    COLLEGE. 

Reg.  No. 

1838. 

300    McCall,  A.  J.,  Bath,  N.  Y 

471     Walworth,  Clarence  A.,  Albany,  N.  Y.  .  .  .Clerg-ynian. 

1837. 

309     House,  Sam'l  R.,  Waterford,  N.  Y Clerg^nnan. 

150     Williams,  Stephen  K.,  Newark,  N.  Y.    ...  Lawyer. 

1836. 
404     Haskins,  Sam'l  M.,  Brooklyn Clergyman. 

391     Seward,  Alex.,  Utica,  N.  Y 

1835. 

Foster,  John,  Schenectady     Professor  Emer. 

406     Reed,  Villeroy  D.,  Philadelphia,  Pa Clergyman. 

144    Van  Sautvoord,  C,  Kingston Clergyman. 

1834. 
389    Feathei'stonhaugh,  J.  D.,  Duanesburg  .... 

1832. 

180     Kanouse,  John  L.,  Boonton,  New  Jersey  .Farmer. 

1831. 
178     Dana,  J.  Jay,  Housatouic,  Mass. Clerg^nnan. 

¥ 

OTHER  COLLEGES. 

AMHERST. 

85     Dewey,  Melvil,  Albany See.  Regents,  1874. 

132     Wortman,  Denis,  Saugerties,  N.  Y Clergyman,  1857. 

CHICAGO. 

224    Lipes,  Hemy  H.,  Central  Bridge Minister. 

431     Neely,  F.  Tennyson    Chicago,  111. 

HAMILTON. 
501     Groves,  Leslie  R.,  Albany,  N.  Y Minister,  1881. 

LAWRENCE. 

421     Albro,  Addis,  Bridgeport,  Conn Clergyman,  1880. 


REGISTRATION.  517 

Rpur.  No. 

ROCHESTER. 

5    F'owU'i-,  Creo.  J\r.,  Rochester,  N.  Y Teacher,  1878. 

RUTGERS. 

468    Ditmars,  C.  P.,  Niskayuna Clergyman,  1876. 

281     Searle,  J.  P.,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J Minister,  1875. 

TRINITY. 
11.3     Ohnstead,  Jaiues  P.,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. .  .Clergyman. 

WABASH. 

407     Johnson,  E.  P.,  Albany Clergyman,  1871. 

WILLIAMS. 

68     Sewall,  A.  C,  Schenectady Clergyman,  1867. 

YALE. 

288     Sawin,  T.  P.,  Troy,  N.  Y Clergyman,  1864. 

226     Wright,  Henry  P.',  New  Haven,  Conn Teacher,  1868. 


33* 


INDEX. 


''Academy,  The."  Address  by  Rev. 
C.  F.  P.  Bancroft,  173 

AdtUsoTi,  Rev.  Dauiel,  22 

Aiken,  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  A.,  60 

Alden,  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph,  379 

Alexander,  Rev.  Dr.  George,  4,  6,  7, 
63,  402 ;  address  by,  79 

Alexander,  Robert  C,  1,  4,  6,  7; 
History  of  the  College  by,  37 

Alexander,  R.  C,  prize,  20 

Allen,  Benjamin,  62 

Allen,  William  F.  358 

Allison-Foote  prize,  20 

Alnmni  Association,  21 

Amherst  College,  209 

Auable,  Conrtland  V.,  22 

Andrews,  President,  address  by,  186 

Arthm-,  President  Chester  A.,  467 

Asbury  African  Church,  N.  Y.,  Ap- 
plication to  Legislature  for  grant, 
53 ;  Lottery  bill  grant,  54 

Baccalaureate    sermon   by    the    Rt. 

Rev.  William  Crosswell  Doane,  127 
Bailey,  Frank,  5 
Bailey,  G.  R.,  21 
Bailey,  Hon.  John  M.,  25 
Bancroft,  Rev.  C.  F.  P.,  address  by, 

172 
Baptist  Church,  as  represented  by  the 

Rev.  Walter  Scott,  101 
Barney,  Edgar  S.,  7 
Bayard,  James  A.,  462 
Beattie,  Rev.  Dr.  Charles,  5 
Beck,  Dr.  Theodi-ic  Romeyn,  409 
Becker,  Hon.  Tracy  C,  5 
Beekman,  Dow,  5,  7 
Bliss,  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  E.,  address 

by,  110 


Board    of     Regents,    First    charter 

granted  by,  248 
Booth,  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Russell,  26 
Breckinridge,  Rev.  Robert  J.,  .394 
Breese,  Sidney,  3.54 
Bridge,  Charles  F.,  7 
Brodhead,  Rev.  Augiistus,  393 
Brown,  Prof.,  25 
Brown,  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  M.,  5 
Brown  University,  187,  260 
Brown,  Warren  G.,  5 
Brownell,   Hon.    Silas   B.,   5,   6,    24; 

Sjieech  by,  437 
Brownell,  Rt.   Rev.   Thomas  C,   63, 

314,  387 
Butterfleld,  Genl.  Daniel,  4,  6,  7,  23  ; 

Speech  by,  335 
Butterfleld  prize,  33 
Burtis,  Hon.  John  H.,  5 
Burton,  Frank,  5 

Cady,  Monroe  M.,  5,  7 
Cameron,  Frederick  W.,  5,  7 
Campbell,  Hon.  William  W.,  57 
Carroll,  Hon.  John  M.,  5 
Cassidy,  William,  465 
Centennial  banquet,    22 ;    addresses 
by    Prof.   John    H.    Hewitt,    263; 
Prof.  Wm.  MacDonald,  274;  Prof. 
Anson  D.  Morse,  283  ;  Prof.  George 
H.   Palmer,    258;    President   Ray- 
mond, 247  ;  Prof.  Charles  F.  Rich- 
ardson, 268;  Prof.  Oreu  Root,  280; 
President  Austin  Scott,  285  ;  Presi- 
dent James  H.  Taylor,  288 ;  Prof. 
John  Randolph  Tucker,  276  ;  Rev. 
Dr.  Anson  J.  Upson,  249;  Dean  J. 
H.  Van  Amringe,  271 ;  Dean  Henry 
P.  Wright,  261 


520 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


Centennial  Celebriitiou :  Resolutions 
regarding,  1,  2,  3 ;  Date  selected 
for,  3;  List  of  committees  ap- 
pointed for,  4,  5,  6,  7 

Centennial  oration  by  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Henry  C.  Potter,  477 

Chandler,  Charles  F.,  63 

Chaplin,  Winfield  S.,  63 

Chester,  Rev.  William,  391 

Clark,  Kenneth,  5 

Clarke,  Nathaniel  G.,  63 

Clarke,  Prof.  George  W.,  25 

Clute,  Dr.  William  T.,  5,  7,  22 

Cochrane,  Gen.  John,  5 

Cokesbury  College,  99 

Cole,  Orsamus,  362 

Cole,  Prof.  Philip  H.,  5,  7 

"  College,  The."  Addresses  by  Presi- 
dent Andrews,  186;  President 
Taylor,  198 ;  President  Scott,  181 

College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
Application  to  Legislature  for  grant 
to,  53  ;  Lottery  bill  grant,  54 

Columbia  College  and  the  Hosaek  Bo- 
tanical Garden,  53 

Commemoration,  Sketch  of  the,  1 

Commencement  Day  procession,  26 

Comstock,  Fred.  L.,  5 

Comstock,  George  F.,  360 

Conkliug,  Judge  Alfred,  460 

Conover,  Archie  R.,  5 

Cowles,  Rev.  Augustus  W.,  30 

Craig,  Dr.  Joseph  D.,  4,  6 

Cromwell,  Charles  T.,  5 

Cruikshank,  Rev.  Dr.  John  C,  5 

Culver,  Dr.  Charles  M.,  5 

Culver,  Charles  W.,  7 

Danforth,  Hon.  George  F.,  5,  22,  361 ; 

address  by,  296 
Dartmouth  College  founded,  111 
Davis,  Henry,  62 
Day,  Rev.  S.  Mills,  25 
Dayton,  Hon.  Isaac,  5 
Dean,  Amos,  358 
Degrees  conferred,  28,  29,  30,  31 
Dentistry,  Requirements  for  study  of, 

.148 


de  Puy,  Frank  A.,  7 

De  Remer,  Hon.  John  A.,  4,  6,  7 

Dewey,  Hon.  Melvil.  Address  by, 
143* 

De  Witt,  Rev.  William  R.,  397 

De  Witt,  Thomas,  398 

Doane,  George  W.,  21,  388 

Doane,  Rt.  Rev,  William  C,  20;  bac- 
calaureate sermon  by,  127 

Dounan,  George  R.,  5 

Earl,  Hon.  Robert,  4,  6,  362 

Eaton,  Rev.  George  W.,  381 

Education,  Baptist  Church  and,  101 ; 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and, 
95;  Presbyterian  Church  and,  110; 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and, 
115  ;  Roman  Catholic  Church  and, 
121 ;  under  secular  authority,  154  ; 
universal  and  popular,  151 

Educational  conference,  143 ;  The 
academy,  172;  The  college,  183; 
Graduate  work,  217  ;  Growth  of  the 
woman's  college,  198 ;  Secondary 
school,  143 ;  Studies  of  the  second- 
ary school,  150 ;  The  imiversity, 
213,  231 

Engineering  school,  25 ;  Semi-cen- 
tennial of,  421 

Evans,  Hon.  John  Gary,  26 ;  address 
by,  439 

"Faculty,  The  Starred,"  311 

Fairgrieve,  James  R.,  5 

Fiero,  Hon.  J.  Newton,  5,  6,  23  ;  ad- 
dress by,  352 

Flint,  Weston,  23;  poem  by,  347 

Foote,  Rev.  Dr.  Horatio,  56 

Foote,  Samuel  A.,  354 

Foote.  Hon.  Wallace  P.,  25 

Foster,  John,  5,  63 

Franchot,  Nicholas  Van  V.,  5,  27 

Genung,  Prof.  John  F.,  25 
Gillespie,  Prof.WilliamM.,  63,  325,422 
Gilman,  President,  Address  by,  213 
Graham,  Rev.  James  R.,  399 
Grand  Committee  of  One  Hiindred,  3 
Gray,  Hiram,  356 


INDEX. 


521 


Greene,  Homer,  4.  7. 
Greenniiin,  Kussell  S.,  5 

Hagar,  Prof.  Daniel  B.,  5 

Hale,  Prof.  William  G.,  31  ;  address 
by,  217 

Hall,  Dean  Lewis  B.,  4 

Hall.  President,  address  by,  230 

Hall,  Kev.  Samuel  H.,  391 

Halsey,  Dr.  John  C,  5 

Hamilton  College,  application  to 
Legislature  for  grant  to,  53 

Hamilton.  Prof.  Frank  H..  411 

Hamlin.  Rev.  Dr.  Teunis  S.,  22,  23; 
address  by,  368 

Hand,  Clifford  A.,  5 

Hand,  Samuel,  364 

Harper,  President,  216 

Harris,  Hamilton,  5,  6,  361 

Harris,  Ira,  356 

Harvard  College  founded,  110 

Harvard  University's  greetings  to 
Union  College,  258 

Haskins,  Rev.  Samuel  M.,  398 

Hassler,  Frederick  R.,  63 

Hawley,  Gideon,  249,  460 

Hazelton,  George  E.,  22 

Headly,  Joel  T.,  5 

Heatley,  James,  22 

Hewitt,  Prof.  John  H.,  30;  speech  of, 
263 

Hiekok,  Rev.  Dr.  Laurens  P.,  56,  63, 
81,  253,  322,  376 ;  elected  vice-presi- 
dent, 58 

Hobart  College,  472 

Hodgkins,  Henry  C,  25 

Hoff,  Dr.  John  Van  R.,  23;  address 
by, 406 

Hoffman,  John  T.,  363 

Holcombe,  Hon.  Chester,  4,  6 

Honors  awarded.  Special,  32 

Hosack  Botanical  Garden  ;  how  Co- 
lumbia College  secured  it,  53 

Huested,  Dr.  Alfred  B.,  4 

Hughes,  George  T.,  5 

Hun,  Dr.  Thomas,  5 

Hund,  Ward,  359 

Huntingdon,  Rev.  Dr.  Ezra  A.,  5,  84 


Jackson,  Hon.  Samuel  W.,  5,  7 
Jackson,    Prof.    Isaac    W.,    62,    317, 

492;  "Capt.  Jack's  garden,"  73 
Jackscm, Rev.  Dr.  Sheldon,  5, 85,86, 395 
Johnson,  Rev.  Wm.  M.,  400 
Joslin,  Benjamin  F.,  63 
Joy,  Charles  A.,  63 

Kent,  William,  .56 
King,  William  H.,  363 

Lamoroiix,  Prof.  Wendell,  5,  7,  63 

Landon,  Hon.  Judson  S.,  4,  6,  60 

Landon,  Melville  D.,  25 

Landon,  William  P.,  5,  7 

Landreth,  Prof.  Olin  H.,  25 

Lane,  Dr.  Levi  C,  418 

Lansing,  Rev.  Gulian,  393 

Legal   profession,   requirements  for 

candidates,  147;  Union  men  in  the, 

352 
Lester,  Charles  C.,4,  6 
Lewis,  Prof.  Tayler,  56,  62,  63,  82, 253, 

320,492;  library  of,  21 
Littlejohn,  Rt.  Rev.  Abram  N.,  5,  390 
Loomis,  Dr.  Alfred  L.,  416 
Loomis,  Rev.  Dr.  B.  B.,  address  by,  95 
Loomis,  Frank,  7 
Lott,  John  A.,  3.56 
Lowell,  Robert,  62 
Ludlow,  Fitzhugh,  Poem  b}',  31 
Ludlow,  Rev.  John,  383 

Mabon,  Rev.  William  A.  YanV.,  385 
Macauley,  Thomas,  63,  326,  402 
McClure,  James  H.,  5,  6 
MacCracken,  Chancelloi",  regrets  of, 

270 
MacDonald,      Prof.      William,      30; 

speech  of,  274 
McEh-oy,  William  H.,  22.  23  ;  Centen- 
nial poem  by,  328 
McLeod,  Rev.  Alexander,  399 
McMaster,  Rev.  Dr.  Erastus  D.,  382 
Matthews,  Rev.  James  McF.,  400 
Mattoon,  Rev.  Stephen,  392 
Maxon,   Rev.    Dr.   William    D.,    22; 
address  bv,  115 


522 


UNION    COLLEGE. 


Maxwell,  William  H.,  address  by, 
loO 

Medical  Profession,  Uuiou  College  in 
the,  406 

Medicine,  requirements  for  study  of, 
147 

Meredith,  Hon.  James  L.,  25 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  rep- 
resented by  the  Rev.  Dr.  B.  B. 
Loomis,  95 

Millard,  Eev.  Dr.  Nelson,  5,  22 

Miller,  Hon.  Warner,  5,  6,  25 ;  ad- 
dress by,  427 

Ministry,  Union  College  in  the,  368 

Moore,  William  H.  H.,  4,7,  23  ;  speech 
by,  248 

Morse,  Prof.  Anson  D.,  31 ;  speech 
of,  283 

Mygatt,  John  T.,  5 

Mynderse,  Dr.  Herman  V.,  22 

Nevin,  Rev,  Dr.  John  W.,  380 

Newcomb,  Zacchens  T.,  5 

Newman,  John,  62 

North,  Edward  P.,  5 

Nott,  Hon.  Charles  C,  5 

Nott,  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  D.,  4,  6,  7, 
22  ;  address  by,  293 

Nott,  Rev.  Dr.  Eliphalet,  48,  182, 
495  ;  and  the  new  college  grounds, 
51 ;  as  an  educator,  56,  82  ;  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  his  administration, 
57 ;  his  proposed  school  curriculum, 
156 ;  made  president,  48  ;  sketch  of, 
296,  495 

Nott,  Joel  B.,  63 

Nott,  Rev.  John  W.,  30 

"Old  Flag,  The,"  poem  by  Weston 

Flint,  347 
Orr,  Robert  P.,  5 

Palmer,  Prof.  George  H.,  30;  addi'ess 

by,  258 
Park,  Rev.  Roswell,  382 
Parker,  Hon.  Amasa  J.,  5,  21,  22,  23, 

357 
Pearson,  Jonathan,  63,  326 


Peckham,  Rufus  W.,  359 

Peissner,  Prof.  Elias,  59,  63,  327 

Peraberton,  Howard,  5 

Perkins,  Maurice,  63 

Phelps,  Rev.  Philip,  23 

Phi  Beta  Kappa,  21 

Porter,  John  K.,  360 

Potter,  Rev.  Dr.  Alonzo,  57,  63,  252, 
316, 388,  494;  extract  from  semi-cen- 
tennial discourse  of,  478 

Potter,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  Nott,  5,  27,  385 ; 
address  by,  471;  elected  presi- 
dent, 60 

Potter,  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  C„  27;  Cen- 
tennial oration  by,  477 

Potter,  Rt.  Rev.  Horatio,  390 

Potter,  Rockwell  H.,  20,  25 

Presbyterian  Church,  as  represented 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Bliss, 

lio 

Prest,  Edward  J.,  5 

Price,  Isaiah  B.,  62,  327 

Princeton  University,  259 

Prizes  awarded,  32 

Proal,  Pierre  A.,  63 

Proceedings,  The,  19 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  rep- 
resented by  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
D.  Maxon,  115 

Proudfit,  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander,  5 

Proudflt,  Robert,  62,  326 

Pruyn,  John  V.  L.,  5,  7 

Rankine,  William  B.,  5,  7 

Raymond,  President  Andrew  V.  V.,  4, 
6,  404 ;  address  to  graduating  class, 
27;  elected  president,  61;  his 
opening  address  at  the  Centennial 
banquet,  247 

Raymond,  Rev.  John  H.,  377 

Raymond,  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  P.,  384 

Registration,  501 

Reid,  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  C,  62,  326 

Religion  and  Education,  Conference 
on  the  relations  of,  91 

Reynaud,  Pierre,  63 

Rice,  Hon.  Alex.  H.,  4,  6,  7 

Rice,  Rev.  Dr.  Edwin  W.,  391 


INDEX. 


523 


Kii'hardson,  Prof.  Cliarli's  F.,  12:5,  ;50 ; 

speeoli  of,  268 
Riptoii,  Prof.  Boiijamiii  II.,  4,  (i,  :>() 
Kobert.son,  Tracy  H.,  ;'),  7 
RobiiKson,   Hon.    David    C,   LM,   2fl ; 

appeal  for  Prof.  Lewis's  library  by, 

271 ;  address  by,  444 
"  Roll-Call," Centennial  poem  by  Wil- 
liam H.  MeElroy,  328 
Roman  Catholic    Chni-cb,  as  repie- 

sented  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Frederick 

Z.  Hooker,  121 
Romeyn,  Rev.  Dr.  Dirck,  38,  43,  93 
Rooker,  Rev.  Dr.  Frederick  Z.,  89; 

address  by,  121 
Root,  Prof.  Oren,  30 ;  speech  of,  280 
Rossiter,  Rev.  Dr.  Stealy  B.,  5,  21, 

22,  401  ;  address  by,  311 
Rudd,  William  P.,  4,  6 
Ruggles,  Philo  T.,  356 

Sanderson,  Silas  W.,  363 

Savage,  John,  354 

Scott,  President,  addi-ess  by,  183 ; 
speech  of,  285 

Scott,  Rev.  Walter,  adcbi-ess  by,  101 

Secondary  school,  address  by  Hon. 
Melvil  Dewey  on  the,  143  ;  address 
by  William  H.  Maxwell,  150 

Seelye,  President  L.  Clark,  5,  198, 
378 

Sewall,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  C,  20;  address 
by,  91 

Seward,  Hon.  Frederick  W.,  5,  7 

Seward,  William  H.,  56,  354,  465 

Sexton,  Hon.  Pliny  T.,  5,  7 

Sigma  Xi,  21 

Smith,  Dr.  John  Nash,  408 

Smith,  Hon.  Charles  Emory,  4,  7,  26 ; 
address  by,  456 

"  Song  to  Old  Union,"  by  F.  Ludlow, 
31 

Sprague,  Col.  Charles  E.,  4,  6 

Spencer,  Hon.  John  C,  55,  461 

Spencer,  Rev.  I.  S.,  400 

Staley,  President  Cady,  25,  63;  ad- 
dress by,  421 

Stanton,  Benjamin,  62,  327 


Slariii,  lloii.  .lohn  II.,  ,5.  6,  7 
Steves,  I'rof.  Oliver  P.,  5 
Stimson,  Dr.  Daniel  M.,  5,  7,  419 
Stone's,  Genl.,  regrets,  424 
Streeter,  Dr.  Frederick  B.,  5 
Strong,  Alonzo  P.,  22 
Swectman,  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph,  57 

Tallmadge,  Nathaniel  P.,  462 
Tappan,  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  P.,  373 
Taylor,    President    James    H,,    288; 

address  by,  198 
Taylor,  John,  62 
Tellkamj)f,  Louis,  63 
Thornton,  Hon.  Howard,  5,  6 
Toom])s,  Robert,  463 
Totten,  Rev.  Dr.  Silas,  381 
Townsend,  Dr.  Howard,  414 
Truax,  Prof.  James  R.,  4,  6,  7 
Tryon,  Dr.  J.  Rufus,  31,  418 
Tucker,  Prof.  John  R.,   31  ;    speech 

of,  276 
Tucker,  Dr.  Willis  G..  3,  4,  6 
Union  College,  History  of,  37;  aca- 
demic charter  granted,  41 ;  final 
petition  to  the  Board  of  Regents, 
41 ;  charter  granted,  42  ;  organiza- 
tion of,  44 ;  progress  of  first  two 
years,  45;  financial  history,  49;  lot- 
tery in  connection  with,  49 ;  Dr. 
Nott  and  the  new  college  grounds, 
51  ;  plan  of  college  building  by  M. 
Ramee,  52;  lottery  bill  grant,  54; 
examination  of  financial  condition 
by  Committee  of  Assembly,  55 ; 
Semi-centennial  anniversary,  57; 
effect  of  Civil  War  on,  .58 ;  educa- 
tional influence  and  progress,  62; 
French  professorship,  64 ;  first 
course  of  civil  engineering  estab- 
lished, 65 ;  mother  of  secret  so- 
cieties, 65  ;  college  publications, 
66 ;  songs  of,  66 ;  government  of, 
67 ;  presidents  of,  67 ;  buildings 
and  grounds,  67 ;  present  trustees, 
73 ;  present  faculty,  74 ;  General 
Alumni  Association,  75 ;  univer- 
sity   powers,    75 ;    religious    influ- 


524 


UNION   COLLEGE. 


ence  of,    79 ;   its   origin,   80 ;   reli- 
gious men  of,  81,  83,  84 ;  influence 
of  Tayler  Lewis  on,  82,  178 ;  promi- 
nent posts  occupied  by  her  men  of 
religion,  84;  and  evangelistic  work, 
85 ;     undenominational     character 
of,  88,  93,    144,    154;   liberality  in 
its  range  of  studies,  144 ;  first  char- 
ter by  Board  of  Regents  granted  to, 
248 ;  and  the  Board  of  Regents,  249; 
in  patriotic  service,  335 ;  upon  the 
bench  and  at  the  bar,  348 ;   in  the 
ministry,  368;  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession,  406;     in   commercial   and 
industrial  life,  427;    in  statesman- 
ship and  politics,  437,  444,  456 
Union  University,  75 
"  University,  The."   Address  by  Pres- 
ident Gilman,  213;  address  by  Prof . 
William  G.  Hale,  217  ;  address  by 
President  Hall,  230 
University  celebration,  471 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  174 
Upfold,  Rev.  Dr.  George,  387 
Upson,  Rev.  Dr.   Anson  J.,  address 
by,  249 

Van  Amringe,    Dean    John   H.,  30 ; 

speech  of,  271 
Van  Santvoord,  Seymour,  4,  6,  7 
Vassar  College,  205 
Vedder,  Dr.  Alexander  M.,  414 
Vedder,  Rev.  Charles  S.,  400 


Waldron,  Rev.  Charles  N.,  399 
Ward,  Dr.  Samuel  B.,  4 
Washington  and  Lee  University,  278 
Wayland,  President  Francis,  57,  62, 

187,  188,  252,  315,  372 
Webster,  Harrison  E.,  5,  60,  63 
Welch,  Rev.  Ransom  B.,  63,  379 
Wells,  Prof.  William,  4,  6,  63 
Wells,  Rev.  John  D.,  398 
West,  Charles  E.,  5 
West  Point,  210 
White,  Edward  P.,  2,  5,  7,  22 
White,  Rev.  Henry,  383 
Whitehorne,  Henry,  62 
Wilder,  R.  E.,  5 
Willard,  Emma,  199 
Williams,  Hon.  Stephen  K.,  5,  7 
Wisner,  Rev.  William  C,  399 
Woods,  Rev.  Dr.  Leonard,  375 
Woman's  College,  growth  of,  198 
Worcester  Public  Library,  146 
Wright,    Dean     Henry    Parks,     30 ; 

speech  by,  261 
Wright,  Rev.  Allen,  396 

Yale  College  founded.  111 

Yale  University,  260 

Yates,  Prof.  Andrew,  62,  313 

Yates,  Joseph  C,  460 

Yates,  Major  Austin  A.,  23  ;  address 

by,  337 
Yates,  Rev.  Dr.  John  A.,  63,  327 


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